


The Princess and the Skywing

by bluechild



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: AU - Roleswap, Almost forgot to mention the slow burn, Angst, Callum has wings, Callum is a really cool skywing, Ezran and Rayla are siblings, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Human Rayla is badass, I’m really bad at tagging but here we go, Slow Burn, this was so fun to write, vaguely canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-12-08
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:07:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 61,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24248554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluechild/pseuds/bluechild
Summary: A human prince and princess forge an unlikely bond with the elven mage sent to kill them, embarking on an epic quest to bring peace to their warring lands.It’s the role swap. Brace yourselves for Human Rayla and Elf Callum - it’s gonna be a wild ride.
Relationships: Callum & Rayla (The Dragon Prince), Callum/Rayla (The Dragon Prince)
Comments: 541
Kudos: 356





	1. Echoes of Thunder

**Author's Note:**

> This took a lot of planning. I think I’ve got it - a nice blend of canon and not canon. I’ve intentionally swapped quotes around characters because sometimes they suit the actual person and sometimes they suit the situation the person is in. 
> 
> Also, the first few chapters are very different from canon. Very. This is because I needed to switch things around so characters could be who I wanted them to be, and do what I wanted them to do. This story does follow the series, it’s just different in some chapters because Rayla would need to be a moonshadow elf for them to happen or Callum would need to not know magic. Like I said, different.

Callum:

A sentry was patrolling the woods. Way too close to the camp.

He was not making it out of this alive.

The youngest assassin, Tia, nodded at Runaan. She was going to take the kill.

She sprinted away, leaping through the trees from branch to branch. I sighed, and wrapped my wings tighter around my body to shield myself from the cold of the night.   
  


She came back to camp in the morning with bloodstains on her throwing knives. Something was off about her...

But Runaan congratulated her. Threw her a cloth to wipe off her weapons. 

I just hugged my sketchbook closer, and suppressed the itch to stretch my wings and fly away. Far, far away from this mission. 

Rayla:

“Alright. Today, we will be practicing the art of... defence.” Soren said, handing me a wooden sword. 

“Sounds fun.” I smirked, twirling the blade in my hand. I could see the guards murmuring and gathering around to watch us. Our sparring matches were always fast-paced and took a while - usually neither of us got the upper hand until at least five minutes had passed. 

Soren laughed as he lunged at me. I parried easily, knocking his sword away from my body. “Surely you can do better than that!” I teased, shifting back into a defensive stance. 

“You know I can. Alright. Hard mode Soren incoming. Get ready.” Soren muttered, concentrating as he moved to rush me again. 

“Ray!” A familiar voice called. I lowered my sword, and Ezran ran up to me. He was carrying Bait - who was, as usual, looking disgruntled - and the young prince was pouting. “You didn’t wake me up. I was going to sneak into the bakery - but it’s too late now. Barius is there.” He gave me puppy eyes, and I sighed. 

“Look, I’m really sorry Ez. I will wake you up next time - did you teach Bait your sappy face as well?” Sure enough, the grumpy toad was giving me wide, sad eyes that perfectly matched Ezran’s. 

“Pleeaaassse!” Ez whined. “You’re the only one who can get in without Barius seeing you!  _ And _ he sealed the grate! So I can’t!”

“Fine.” I gave my sword to Soren and started walking away with my little brother. “Soren, I will be back to kick your ass. Just give me a few minutes.” I ruffled Ezran’s hair and he cheered. 

While we were walking to the small castle square where the bakery was located, Ezran grinned mischievously up at me. “So. When are you going to ask Soren out?” 

I froze, then spun around. “Wh-what? I’m not going to ask him out!” I stammered and Ez raised one of his eyebrows. 

“I’m going to kick your ass Soren!” He said, in a poor impersonation of me. I rolled my eyes, still flustered. 

“That’s not even what I said.” I muttered, continuing down the path to the bakery before realising what Ez said. “Hey!” I whirled around to face him. “You are  not allowed to say those words! I’ve told you before!” 

It was Ez’s turn to roll his eyes. “Please. I’m eleven years old. You can’t stop me.”

“I won’t sneak into the bakery to satisfy your unhealthy obsession with jelly tarts anymore.” I warned, eyeing the building in the distance. 

“Okay, okay! I’ll stop!” He rushed to answer me, and I nodded. 

“Damn straight you will.” I held an arm out, blocking Ezran. “Alright. In and out. Plan... 15. Barius found ways to counter plans 12 and 14, so we will need to brainstorm a few more.”

“Oh man! I liked Plan 12! It was my favourite after 8!” He said, clutching Bait tightly in outrage. 

“Yeah, mine too. You know what to do?” I asked, and Ez nodded. “Let’s go.”

I ducked into an alley and scaled the wall of the bakery until I reached the roof. I blindly fumbled for a rock, and threw it into the out-of-order chimney. It made plenty of noise on the way down - perfect.

I jumped down from the roof, and casually made my way to the entrance. As I thought, Barius was inspecting the chimney - he was expecting Plan 4 where Ez goes down the chimney. But Ez was at the grate, ready to cause another distraction if needed.

I spotted the fresh trays of jelly tarts - jam flavour. Ez’s favourite - perfect. I began quietly scooping armfuls of the treats into my sack - but my elbow bumped the metal tray and there was a clatter as it fell to the ground. 

I ducked down, breathing heavily as Barius spun around to investigate. I could hear his footsteps getting closer to the bench I was hiding behind - then another clatter. Ez’s distraction!

“Prince Ezran! I sealed that grate, how are my tarts gone?!” He exclaimed, and he grunted in frustration as he probably bent down. I peeked around the corner of the counter to check - sure enough, he was inspecting the grate.

I quickly resumed tipping a tray of the treats into the sack, watching the baker carefully.

“Hmph, it looks fixed. How did the scoundrel...” He paused and I took my exit, slipping out of the building and sprinting away. “Princess Rayla!!!” He bellowed, and I made my way to the planned meeting point, next to the tailors.

Ezran wasn’t there yet, so I disguised myself with a black vest and I pulled up the hood. My silver hair was very noticeable - I would be easily spotted if Barius came charging out to find me.

“Ray?” Ezran called. I turned my head, and sure enough, the tiny prince was waiting in the gap between the tailor and the trinket seller. I walked over, hiding the sack behind my back.

“Oh, hey.” I said, lowering my hood with one hand and sitting down on the ground and leaning against the wall.

“It that-“ Ez’s eyes were wide and unbelieving as he saw the giant bag. 

“Yep. Here you go. It’s completely full.” I said, handing him the bag and ruffling his hair. “You did a great job drawing his attention. He didn’t suspect a thing.”

Ezran giggled. “Until it was too late!” He said, reaching into the sack for a jelly tart and snuggling into my side.

I laughed. “Too late indeed.” I grabbed a tart and handed it to Bait, who grunted happily as I scratched under his chin. Ezran lifted his head, and I chuckled as I scratched the same place as I did Bait.

We spent the next while eating jelly tarts, watching the people milling about as we devised Plan 17.

A perfect afternoon.

We were laughing the rest of the way back to the castle - but Opeli was waiting at the drawbridge.

It’s not that I didn’t like her... she was just terrifying sometimes.

“Princess Rayla. Prince Ezran. Barius has reported not one, but  _ three _ trays of pastries stolen. Would you happen to know anything about that?”

“Nope.” I said. 

“Wanph a belly dard?” Ezran offered, his mouth stuffed with the treat. 

Opeli sighed. “No, thank you.”

I grinned, taking the pastry that Ezran was holding out. “Suit yourself.”

I could swear that a hint of a smile tugged at Opeli’s lips. 

Callum:

Runaan stalked over to me, silent and deadly. “You know your role tonight?”

I nodded. “Draw the storm away and don’t let clouds cover the moon.”

“Very good. Do not ruin this mission.” He warned, and he moved away to sharpen his bow-blades for the fifth time in the past hour. 

I felt so out of place - a timid skywing mage surrounded by battle-hardened moonshadow assassins. No one talked to me. No one really looked at me - except for Runaan and Tia. But even then, he only spoke to me to make sure that I wouldn’t act like an incompetent fool and jeopardise the mission. And Tia mostly stared at me. 

But I had to be here. I got recognition for it - maybe I’d be able to apply to become a mage apprenticeship. The Dragon Queen herself would thank me. 

I had one job. And I wouldn’t fail. 

Rayla:

The king requested my presence in the throne room.

I sighed, and got off my bed to go. I hated being in the court - I was always stared at. People whispering about the step-princess with silver hair and bright purple eyes. Some rumours about me being a half-elf even existed. 

But the king stomped them down, punishing anyone who questioned my heritage.

I knocked once and nudged the heavy oak doors open, stepping into the throne room.

“I’m here. What is it?” I said, crossing my arms. I wanted to get out of here as fast as I could.

“Is that any way to speak to your king?” Viren snapped. Of course he was here, the right hand of King Harrow, his Majesty.

I scowled are the high mage and turned my head to Harrow.

“Viren.” He murmured a warning and the mage lowered his head, slinking back a little. Harrow then plastered a smile on his face and turned to face me, getting off his throne and over to the strategy table. “I just wanted to say hello! I haven’t been able to see you very often, and I want to know how you’re doing.” He said cheerily.

“I’m doing great.” I said, trying to end this conversation as fast as I could. I could already feel the stares from the Council.

“What have you been up to? Still training with Soren?

“Yeah. That’s been fun.” I said nonchalantly. Viren frowned, but didn’t dare speak up.

“I hear you’ve become quite the prodigy at sword fighting. Four years younger then Soren, and already beating him at his own art!”

“Thank you.”

“King Harrow. We have important matters to attend to.” Viren interrupted.

“Very well.” Harrow turned to me. “I apologise - later?”

“Sure.” I muttered.

I could tell what Viren was implying. I wasn’t important.

I turned on my heel and marched out, well aware of the whispers that followed me. 

Callum:

I summoned some clouds in my hands and played with wispy shapes a little, twisting them into miniature tornadoes with the raw power in me. No runes needed, just a lot of practice and time. Both of which I had.

Suddenly Tia spoke. It was quietly, but we could all hear it.

“Runaan, what would happen if the humans knew we were coming?”

What kind of question was that?

Runaan didn’t even look away from the embers he was poking. “They won’t. We have the element of surprise.”

“I know, but what if we didn’t?”

“Then we would fail.”

It was vague, but we all understood. We would all die. And then our names forever shamed.

The young assassin swallowed. “Right. Right.”

She strutted over to me and sat on the log I was on. “You’ve been quiet.” She said, polishing her knives.

“I don’t really want to be here.” I mumbled.

“Then why are you here? I had to fight tooth and nail to get on this team.” She said.

“Because I have to be. I can sense a storm coming, and it will hit tonight. Unless I stop it. It’s so the moon isn’t covered and you guys can reach your full potential.” I said, looking wistfully up at the sky.

“Oh. Why you though?”

“I’m the most expendable mage who can actually perform the spell. All the other ones are too important.” I muttered, kicking a stone.

“Oh.”

“You’re new to the team?” I tried to steer the topic away.

“Runaan finally accepted me on. I’m still really young though - only seventeen!” Her face glowed with pride.

“That’s pretty good.” I ruffled my wings - I needed to fly. I usually did so every day but as soon as we passed the border, Runaan forbade it in case we were spotted. “So, how do you know Runaan? Are you his daughter?”

“No, thank the Nexus. He’s just a good friend of my dad.” Tia sighed, then her eyes fell on my wings. “I really like them.”

“Like what?”

“Your wings. They’re a really pretty blue.”

“Oh. Thanks.” I stammered.

“Can I- can I touch them?” She asked, reaching a hand out.

My wings shied away, out of her reach. “Sorry- skywings don’t let people touch their wings.”

She looked a little hurt, but understanding. “Right. Sorry.”

She continued shining her knives, staying silent after that. So I got up from the log and walked over to Runaan.

“Excuse me, can I go for a walk?” I asked timidly.

“Yes. Just don’t stray too far. Or fly. If I do see you flying, I will cut your wings off and feed them to Sol Regem.” Runaan warned. And he was serious too -  _ wow _ he was easily the scariest elf I’d ever come across.

I shuddered at the thought. “No. I won’t.”

I gladly left the camp, walking in the direction opposite the castle. Even I wasn’t stupid enough to walk any closer the central of the most powerful human kingdom by myself.

I stretched my wings wide, aching for just a small flight. Just a tiny one, and I’d disappear into the clouds -

No. I wouldn’t ruin the mission. Everyone was counting on me.

I beat my wings once, a powerful gust that kicked up some dust from the ground and ruffled the leaves on the bushes around me. It wasn’t the same as spiralling through the clouds, feeling the lightning crackling alongside me.

But it was close enough. 

I heard a rustle behind me, and I jolted. Runaan? Did he think I was going to fly away-

“Who‘s there?” I demanded, drawing a lightning rune, my fingers already sparking with small bolts of electricity.

“Sorry. Just me. Runaan sent me to watch you.” Tia emerged, brushing off some leaves that cling to her vest. I dismissed the spell, but my fingers still crackled a little with energy.

“Did he?” I asked, suspicious. He trusted me. I think.

“Ack, you caught me. He didn’t. I just wanted to walk with you, and then you looked like you were about to fly away.” She grinned sheepishly, and I frowned.

“I just want to be alone for a bit. Settle my thoughts before tonight.” I said, pulling my wings tightly against my body again.

“I know what you mean.” She said - but she didn’t leave. Did she not get the hint? It wasn’t even subtle! “How was flying in-“

“Please! Just - please let me be alone for a while!” I yelled. I was sick of her prodding, trying to get to know me. To get me to know her. 

“Oh. I’m sorry. Okay then.” She stammered, hurt that I didn’t want her company.

I just wanted to have some time to myself. Before tonight.

Tia turned and leapt through the trees, away from me and back to the camp.

I turned and scaled the tree. The tallest one in the area - but not too high. Just enough so the subtle pull to the sky was stronger. It reminded me of home in the mountain ranges.

I flipped open my sketchbook and started tracing the outline of the castle. I could see it clearly even from this distance - it was a massive structure of towers and walls. And we would have to infiltrate it, and kill the king. And the young prince.

I took a deep breath in. The sky inside me calmed a bit, the swirling tempest easing to a calm breeze over a lake. Deep breath in, out.

In and out. 


	2. What is Done

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Episode 2: What is Done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That feeling when you are scrolling through Pinterest because you thought of a reverse roles au and see a picture of it and you think it’s really cool and then a few weeks later you decide to start writing that reverse roles au and you remember the picture and decide to base your characters physical characteristics around that picture and you post the story but then later when you are scrolling through insta you see that picture and the title of the drawing is almost the exact same as the title of your story as a pure coincidence. It is a shock. 
> 
> Credit to @byghostface for the drawing that really helped me imagine these characters in my head. There was no actual collaboration, I just thought that it was a really cool sketch and it got stuck in my head while writing this and that would be why Callum is the way he is with his blue skin, hair and wings. 
> 
> I did however imagine a skywing Callum with wings and a sketchbook before I actually saw the sketch - as well as human Rayla with her white hair and purple eyes. And the title is my own idea, it is a coincidence that it is the same as the title of the picture.

Callum:

When I finally went back to camp, it was awkward. Almost unbearably so.

Tia wasn’t glancing at me. I wasn’t sure if I preferred that over her trying to talk to me. I got a few growls and scowls shot at me, but at least two elves gave me sympathetic glances. I only asked her to leave me alone - moonshadow elves were so touchy.

I just kept my head down and wrapped my wings around me, sitting under the giant rock. Stayed small and shy. Hearing Tia sharpen her knives reminded me why I don’t interact with others.

Instead, I sketched the castle, relying on my memory to fill in the details. The spiralling tiles on the towers, the sprawled city that just peeked around the cliff the castle perched on top of.

It was almost time. I had memorised the spell, spending so much time reading and chanting it that I could do it in my sleep. When I glanced up, I could see the storm clouds gathering.

It made me feel better. Because storms are fun, and because it made me feel important. Like a valuable part of the team. 

Rayla:

Ugh. The library.

I had never been much of a reader, preferring to spend my time outside or with Ezran. But here I was, in the library, trying to find a book for the spoiled prince.

I skimmed past magic books, history books - there! A book of small stories; perfect for Ez. I pulled it out of the dusty shelf, spiderwebs clinging onto the worn pages.

“Ugh. This is disgusting.” I muttered as I saw spiders scuttle away from the empty space the book used to occupy.

I flipped the book open to a random page, and went to read a small part.

But before I could actually read the words, the pages started flipping backwards and forwards. A wind started howling through the library, faintly smelling like... peanut butter?

“Claudia.” I sighed, snapping the book shut. “Come out.”

“I had you! For a minute you thought this place was haunted!” She cackled, and I stalked around the corner of the tall bookshelf to see her doubling over with laughter.

“Very funny.” I said, but then I saw the object in her hand. “What is that?” I asked, peering at the glass ball.

“Oh this? It’s nothing. Just a  _primal stone_ .” She said with awe, holding it up to the light.

“That means nothing to me. I still have no idea what it is.” I said, watching what looked like a lightning bolt crackle inside the stone.

“You know the six primal sources?” Claudia asked.

I vaguely did, from history lessons. “Sure.”

“Well this ball has the power of the  _ sky _ inside it. How cool is that! So I can shoot lightning, or gusts of wind, or-“

“Raylaaa! Where is the story?!” Ezran called out.

I sighed. “Catch you later. Neat primal ball though.”

“Primal  _ stone _ !” Claudia corrected me, and I laughed.

“Alright Ezran, I’m coming!” I shouted, finding my way out of the labyrinth of bookshelves.

Callum:

Night fell.

I could see the storm speeding towards us - it’s power coursed through me, making my eyes glow ever so faintly.

We moved as soon as the sun fell below the horizon, blanketing the forest in darkness. I could barely see in the forest - and Runaan wouldn’t let me fly still. Not until I needed to get up the cliff and to the tallest spire of the castle.

The way there was silent. No one spoke, especially not me. No way I was drawing any extra attention to myself after today. 

The cliff looked over us, and I glanced to Runaan. He nodded to me, and I stretched my wings as wide as they would go. They were so stiff - but they wouldn’t fail me.

I took a few beats to get a steady rhythm, and then I took off. Finally, the feeling of being suspended in air, surrounded by nothing.

I soared my way up the cliff quickly with a few flaps, and then perched on the tower roof. I glanced down - and guards were marching around. Much more than what was normal.

I saw two guards approach the tower I was standing on, and I quietly scuttled down to hear them murmuring.

“No way. You are bluffing.”

“No, it’s true! I took down a moonshadow assassin all by myself!”

“Was it a full moon?”

“...No.”

“Exactly.”

Why were they talking about elves? Surely that wasn’t normal guard talk?

“You reckon the king will survive?”

“Dunno. Marcos was pretty beat up when he got back from patrol. Says the one following him tripped in the mud and he got away - not so unbeatable, hey? Still took him hours to crawl back though.”

Tia didn’t get the guard.

They knew we were coming.

I ran off the edge of the slanted roof and free fell down, then snapped my wings open at the last second. I skidded to a stop in front of Runaan, who was almost invisible in the night even without his powers.

“Well?” He asked. 

“They know we’re coming.” I muttered, standing up straight.

“How.” He seethed. “If it was because you were seen, I will personally behead you-“

“The guard Tia went after - he got away after she tripped.” I mumbled, turning my head away from the lead assassin.

“Tia. Is this true?” He asked, lethally calm.

“I’m so sorry! It was dark, and I thought I could take him!” She protested, stepping forward.

“Enough! You will accompany us, only because we are already here. Just know that every death is on  _ your _ hands.”

Tears dripped down her face, or that might’ve been the rain that started to pelt us.

“Everyone. Let’s go. Remember the plan.” Runaan growled.

“For Xadia!” The others shouted, and I took off again. Soaring through the storm, up the sheer cliff and the castle walls. 

They were expecting moonshadow elves, not a winged mage, so I should be safe in the sky.

I flew up, up, until I was surrounded by the storm. The lightning lashing at me, but never quite touching me. The primal energy inside me lashed out at the feeling of sky all around, and nothing but sky.

I shouted the incantation, drawing the rune quickly with both hands. The clouds pulled away slowly, and the light of the full moon spilled over me.

Then something tugged at me, deep in my gut. Drew me to the castle.

I blinked, looking away, but I was still hovering in the air in the same place. Then I glanced down, and the pull was stronger.

Some sky object was down there, and it was  _ powerful _ .

The spell should continue for a while - it repulses the clouds, and they kinda continue drifting away even after it fades. So I should be alright. 

I dove down, spearing through the air to the castle. I spied an open window and aimed for it, twisting and tucking my wings in tight -

I made it. I crashed into the wall of a hallway, tumbling down onto the floor. I glanced up, and one of the assassins was standing over me, shocked.

Except it they didn’t have any weapons. And they were dressed weirdly.

I looked again from the ground, and they didn’t have horns or pointed ears. It was a human.

Rayla:

There was a massive commotion in the castle. A patrol soldier had returned just before dusk, wounded and dying. He said that there were moonshadow elves. Assassins. Coming for the king, no doubt. 

I shielded Ez from it all, playing cards and marbles with him to distract us.  I needed a distraction.

Then night fell, and the castle was humming with energy. Almost every guard was at our wing of the castle - defending the royal quarters. Soldiers marched past our door every two minutes.

But I really needed to get my daggers to feel safe. They were in the courtyard, in a locked room. I had a key. I’d be in and out.

“Hey, I’ll be right back. Okay?” I asked, tilting Ez’s head up to look at me.

“Sure. I’ll be right here.” He said, rolling a marble.

“Good. Please stay here. No matter what, okay?”

He frowned. “You’re acting weird. But okay. I’ll stay here.”

I sighed in relief, then slipped out the door and sprinted down the hallway. 

I turned a corner and pushed open a pair of massive doors. And I saw a shadow looming in the window- before something flew in the hall and smashed into the wall opposite the windows.

It was way too big to be a bird. 

It - he - glanced up at me, then lifted his head and groaned. That was when I noticed the pair of horns, and the deep blue wings on his back.

An elf!

I grabbed one of the swords from the suit of armour and shifted into a defensive stance. “Hey! Stay down!” I yelled.

“Be quiet! Do you want them to hear us?!” He yell-whispered, and I scowled.

“Aren’t you with ‘them’?”

“Um... kinda? But wait - please don’t kill me!” He pleaded, getting up onto his knees and looking up at me.

He had blue skin, a shade darker than the sky, and his wings were a lot darker. He had symmetrical, lighter tattoos on each side of his face, double lines that ran along his cheekbone and the angled down to stop about half an inch from the corners of his mouth. His midnight-blue hair was tussled and messy - but then again he did just fly into a wall. 

“Please. I’m only down here because I feel something - a sky object! It’s a primal stone, or something else and I need to find it!” He said.

I briefly considered it, and then I heard something behind me. A door creak open.

Callum:

“Rayla, what’s taking so long- gah!” A tiny human appeared behind the scary one - Rayla. 

“Ez! I told you to stay in your room!” She scolded, and I stood up.

“Ummmmm... more importantly, that is an _elf_ right there.” The human know as ‘Ez’ said, holding up a glowtoad. He obviously liked the little pet- maybe I could use that to my advantage.

“Hey. That’s a glowtoad, right?” I said, my hands still in the air above my head. Rayla snapped her head to me, eyes widening when she noticed I was standing. But sherelaxed a tiny bit when she saw my hands were up.

“Yeah! Pretty cool, right?” The tiny one chirped.

“So cool. Look, I’m not here to hurt anyone. I promise I just want to -“

“Callum! What are you doing?!” Someone yelled behind me.

“Rayla! It’s another elf!” The small human whispered loudly.

I turned around slowly, facing Tia.

“Um, hey!” I stuttered, and Rayla took her opportunity to lunge forward and hook her arm around, pressing the blade to my throat.

“Stay back. Or  _ Callum _ here dies.” She hissed. I had to admire the human’s courage, but she was an easy target for... for throwing knives.

“You sure about that?” Tia growled. She palmed a knife before I could even think and it was hurtling at Rayla’s face in half a second.

I pulled my wing up, shielding the human. The knife embedded itself in the flesh at the ‘elbow’ of my wing - and I yelped in pain, sinking to my knees.

“Callum! What in the Nexus was that?!” Tia shouted. “I had a clear shot! It would’ve gone straight through her forehead - ugh, I’ll just try again.”

I muttered a spell and drew a rune, casting lightning at Tia. Not enough to kill her, just to knock her off her feet.

“Let’s go! Come on!” I yelled, and I got up to usher the humans to the door.

The smallest one - Ez - led us to a bedroom - probably theirs. As soon as the door was bolted shut, Rayla spun around.

“Why did you do that?” She demanded.

“Do what?” I asked, twisting my wing around to survey the gash.

“Oh my god, you’ve got a knife in you.” She cried, and she stumbled forwards to me. “Sit on the bed.” She ordered.

I obliged, and muffled my cry with my hand when she grazed the blade with her fingertip.

“Okay. This is bad. Very bad.” She mumbled.

“Just leave it. It’s not bleeding much yet - I just won’t move it. Hang on, are you  _Prince Ezran_ ?” I asked, looking at the small one, who was hugging the glowtoad tightly.

“Yep.” He affirmed.

I groaned in pain as I tucked my wing in close. “We need to get you out of here.” I said. “And that makes you Princess Rayla?” I turned to the almost elven girl. 

“Yes. I am. But why do we need to go?”

“Because assassins are coming for the prince and the king! Obviously!” I cried.

“...They’re coming for Ez too?!” She yelled.

“Yes! The King of the Dragons and his only heir, the egg of the Dragon Prince, was struck down by humans! So they are coming for the king and for... for Ez here.” I lost volume as I looked at the boy. He was so small.

“But he did nothing! He’s just a kid!” Rayla yelled. 

“I know! I’m going to get you guys away from here! I don’t want this either!” I protested.

“Then why are you here?” Rayla seethed. 

“Can we continue this ethical debate later?” I demanded.

“Guys! Stop!” The prince yelled. “Elf, did you say ‘the egg’?” He asked.

“Yes. Egg. The egg of the Dragon Prince.” I sighed.

“Follow me. You’ll want to see this.” He said, bounding out of the room.

“Ez!” Rayla yelled, then glanced at me. “I still don’t trust you. But let’s go.”

“Fair enough.” I muttered, and I winced as we ran to follow the tiny prince.

He led us to an empty study, and then tugged on a painting - revealing a secret passage. We followed him through hallways, and the primal energy coursing through me started pounding in my ears as we went on.

We hit a dead end after a few corners.

“Ugh. We’re trapped Ez!” Rayla complained. 

“Just wait a second.” He said, thinking. “Rock.” He pressed one of the boulders set into the wall with every word, like a puzzle. “Rock, stone, rock, stone, stone, rock, stone-“

“What’s the difference between a rock and a stone?” I asked, and Ezran cried out in frustration.

“You made me press a stone instead of a rock!” He said, annoyed, then he started again. “Rock, rock, stone, rock, stone, stone, rock, stone, rock!”

I jolted - immediately regretting the sudden movement as my wing cried out in pain - as the floor behind us gave way to a stairwell.

“What the...” I said, following the young prince down to the underground chamber.

As we walked through the room, my face darkened. There were jars and part of Xadian specimens - all horribly preserved.

Ezran glanced back to me when I sucked in a sharp breath - a pair of wings were in a case. A pair of wings not unlike my own.“Yeah, it’s pretty horrible. I hate this place.” He said.

That comforted me slightly. At least he hated it too. 

He stopped in front of a pedestal covered by a cloth. “I can hear something inside - something alive.”

The sky power inside me rumbled - this was it. Whatever was hidden by that cloth was an artefact of incredible power.

But when he yanked the sheet down, I gasped. “It- it cant be.” I murmured, reaching for the object.

“The egg of the Dragon Prince.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I have 4 chapters done plus some extra scenes that I might throw in. This looks like a promising story.  
> Note: pretty much all of this story is from either Rayla or Callum’s POV. Therefore there will be a lot more extra scenes to make up for the ones that do not involve these characters.


	3. Moonrise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy :)

Rayla:

The skywing reached for the egg, but Ezran grabbed it. 

“Oh. I’m sorry - it’s just... really powerful. Definitely a sky dragon inside.” Callum said, kneeling in front of my brother.

“So... what do we do now?” I asked.

“This egg could stop the war.” Callum breathed.

“We have to get it back to Xadia.” Ezran said.

Callum nodded. “ _W_ _e _ do.”

“He’s okay in there.” Ezran murmured, touching the shell softly. “I can feel it.”

“But why wasn’t it destroyed?” I asked.

“Because _my_ father saved it!” I heard a shout from behind us, and I twisted my head to face Claudia.

“Claudia?” I murmured.

“Rayla, Ezran, get behind me!” She yelled, brandishing the primal ball thing at Callum. “I can protect you from the  _ elf _ .”

Callum turned around and frowned menacingly. “Your father didn’t save it! He stole it!” He yelled, spreading his wings slightly to cover me and Ez.

“That’s a lie!” Claudia yelled.

“Then, Claudia... why is it here?” I asked, stepping forward a bit.

“My father took it to protect us, Rayla. So the  _ elves _ and  _ dragons _ couldn’t use it.”

“What are you talking about? How could we use it? It’s an  _ egg _ !” Callum shouted.

“Don’t play dumb!” Claudia yelled. “You know it’s a powerful weapon.”

“Again, it’s an  _ egg _ !” Callum reasoned.

“Ezran, don’t be afraid. Walk towards me - and if he moves even an  _ inch _ ...” Claudia cut off threateningly, drawing a shape that crackled and snapped with electricity.“Just bring that  _ thing _ here.”

“It’s not a thing!” Callum yelled. “It has a mother! And it needs to go back to her!”

I looked back and forth between the skywing and my life-long friend...

“You’re right. It wants it’s mother.” Ezran said to Callum.

“Ezran be careful!” Claudia warned.

But Ez looked up at Callum, and the skywing glanced back at him. I could see it in Ez’s eyes - he trusted the elf. And if he trusted him, then I would have to as well.

“Follow me.” Ezran said, turning and running down a passage. The skywing and Bait ran after him, leaving me and Claudia.

“Don’t worry. I won’t hit Ez...” Claudia mumbled.

Was she going to throw lightning at my brother?!

“ _ Fulminus _ !” She yelled, and I knocked the stone out of her hands. An explosion went off behind me -  please _don’t_ _hit_ _them_ , _please_ _don’t_ _hit_ _them_ -

The stone smashed in the floor and the room started shaking, and winds where whipping around us like a hurricane.

“Rayla! What are you  _ doing _ ?!” Claudia cried as I grabbed a manacle and snapped it around her wrist.

“The right thing.” I told her, before bolting down the hall to follow Callum and Ez. “I hope.” I added quietly as I ran past a lone feather on the ground.

I heard wolves howling behind me as I chased after the skywing. 

“Not that way!” I heard - Ez! He was okay!

“Why not?!” The skywing shouted.

“Because it’s a dead end!”

I caught up to them just as shadows rounded the corner - wolves snapping and growling at us.

I brandished the sword that I’d managed to keep with me at them. The wolves charged me - but when I swung my sword, it passed through smoke. One of the shadows managed to bite my arm through the sleeve and I cried out on pain, stumbling back in a retreat.

“They’re just smoke! I can’t hit them!” I yelled, and Callum stepped forward. 

“Just smoke...” He thought for a moment, then his face lit up. “ _ Aspiro _ !” He yelled, drawing in the air again. When he exhaled, a strong gust of wind blew the wolves away, both of them dissolving into air.

He turned around, a relieved expression on his face. “How do we get out of here?” He asked.

“This way.” Ez said, walking down a hall. 

Callum:

The older human kept glancing at me. Like she was trying to figure out if I was trustworthy or not - and frankly, it was quite rude. I had saved her and the little prince many times in the past twenty minutes we’d known each other.

“Your wing - is it okay?” She finally spoke.

“It’s fine. Just trying to not think about it.” I mumbled.

“Fair enough.” She said.

“We need to get out of this castle.” I said. “Which way will take us away from here?”

“We’re not leaving Dad alone.” Ezran said. “We can’t.”

I kneeled down in front of the boy. He was tiny... he couldn’t be older than ten. “It’s alright. He has the best guards in the kingdom looking after him.”

“So you want your friends to die?” Rayla interjected.

I shut my eyes tightly and looked away. “They’re not my friends. I’m only here because I had to be - and I screwed that up anyway.”

“Okay. Let’s go.” Ezran said, putting a hand on my shoulder. “You don’t have to talk about it.”

I smiled a little at the small prince. “Thank you.”

We walked through endless halls and corridors until we were in the in an empty courtyard. A storm was raging - far stronger than it was before. 

“What the...” I murmured, feeling the surge every time a lightning bolt roared in the sky. This was not a normal storm - no way with the kind of power that it was lashing out.

I turned to the princess. “The dark mage - she had a primal stone. What happened to it?”

She looked sheepish. “It got smashed.”

I looked around at the gale-force winds and thunder booming. “That would explain this... chaos.”

“We need to go!” Ezran yelled as a bolt of lightning struck the tower in front of us.

“Come on! Follow me!” I shouted over the following clap of thunder that was almost deafening.

But a figure materialised in front of us, holding a bow and his face twisted in fury.

“Callum! What is the meaning of this?!” He bellowed, notching and arrow in his bow and aiming it at me.

“We found the egg of the Dragon Prince! There is no need for vengeance!” I shouted, shifting ever so slightly to block Rayla and Ezran from the elf.

“Liar.” He seethed.

“It’s true - Ezran, show him-“

“The Prince is with you?!” Runaan roared. 

“Just look at the egg!” I yelled, moving aside so Ezran could hold up the egg, which was shining brightly in the relentless storm.

“The egg lives.” Runaan murmured with awe on his face, before scowling again. “Give it here.”

“I...” I looked towards Rayla and Ezran, who were so hopeful. Trusting. I shook my head. “I can’t do that.”

“Your duty is to Xadia. Now hand the egg over!”

“This is doing the right thing by Xadia! If the humans deliver the egg, it could stop the war!” I argued.

“No. I’m not trusting a pair of human children to return the most important being in Xadia to the Dragon Queen.” Runaan growled, pointing the arrow at my head.

I sighed, flexing my fingers. “Rayla, Ezran, go! Get to safety!” I yelled, not looking back to see if they were running.

“You’re better than this.” Runaan snarled. “One last time. Give. Me. The. Egg!”

I drew the fulminus rune and fired it at Runaan at the same time as his arrow flew towards my head.

A sword swung in front of my face and smashed the arrow in half as the bolt of lightning struck Runaan, knocking him off his feet.

“Let’s go! We’re not leaving you behind!” Rayla shouted, holding her sword with one hand and grabbing my hand with the other, pulling me to the giant gates.

I tucked my wings in as tight as they would go, searing pain in my left one making me whimper. We struggled against the storm, finally coming across the unguarded drawbridge. The forest wasn’t far from here.

We finally made it to the trees, the effects of the storm wearing off as the primal energy dissipated into the sky. The egg was in a backpack carried by the prince, and the princess wouldn’t stop watching me carefully.

We hiked through the night, passing tree after tree. Before long, my wing started throbbing after step, the rush from finding the egg wearing off.

“You okay?” Rayla asked when I grimaced as I stumbled over a rock. 

“My wing - the knife -“ I mumbled, gently pulling my wing around to check it.

It wasn’t looking good - blood was trickling down the wound, and the knife was still embedded in the flesh.

“Oh, crap - here.” The princess ripped a part of her sleeve off and cut it into strips awkwardly with her sword.

“This is going to hurt like hell. And I’m sorry.” She said, eying the knife.

“What is ‘hell’? Is that a human expre-“ I cut of with a yelp as she yanked the blade out of my wing. 

“Oh, Nexus. Oh Nexus. Oh Nexus.” I whimpered as Rayla cleaned and pocketed the blade.

“I am really sorry about that. We just needed to get it out.” She said, gently winding the cloth between my feathers and around the wound.

“It’s alright.” I breathed. I noticed Ezran - he was covering his eyes, and the glowtoad was green. 

“All done. I can’t promise that it won’t get infected, but it will have a better chance of healing now. And it’s way better than walking around with a knife in your wing.” Rayla said, kneeling in front of me.

“Thank you.” I said hoarsely. 

At one point when we continued walking, I saw a blood-red eagle fly through the sky.

The message.

My face fell, and I stopped walking.

“What’s wrong?” Ezran asked.

I forced a smile on my face. “Nothing. We - we should keep walking.”

The king had fallen. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It gets harder and harder to restrain myself from posting every chapter that I’ve finished so far, all in one day...


	4. Bloodthirsty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a long one - but it’s one of my favourites so far :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta reader wanted! I kinda need one to find plot holes and English mistakes so if you are up for it comment below and I will be happy to set something up!

Callum:

We rested for an hour or two off the path, wary of travellers. It seemed that Rayla tolerated me, and only because Ez trusted me and I hadn’t tried anything funny.

It was after another few hours of walking I noticed that her sleeve had blood on it - small dots of it in a circle on the fabric.

“You’re hurt.” I said, catching up to walk next to her. I forced her to stop and I gently took her arm.

“It’s nothing.” She shrugged my hand off, but immediately winced at the movement.

“It’s not nothing.” I pulled her arm up softly again, and carefully rolled the sleeve up. Ezran had walked over, watching us carefully. Probably to check if Rayla was okay.

“One of the wolves bit you.” I said, seeing the teethmarks in her upper arm.

“It doesn’t hurt. And it barely punctured my skin.” She was right - only a few marks were actually bleeding. But the skin was raw and dark, clearly angry. It definitely hurt.

“We should still wrap it up. You have any extra cloth?”

She sighed. “Yes. Ez has them.”

Ezran handed me the bundle without me even opening my mouth to ask. “Thank you.” I said, smiling as I took the fabric.

He was a good human. A lot better than we were told they were.

I had been prepared to travel with monsters who wanted to kill elves for fun, who drank our blood. But the little one had a heart of gold - he was nice to me, and he cared for the glowtoad as if it were another human.

Rayla... she was a good person too. She cares about Ezran so much and so deeply - unfortunately that makes her so much more wary of me. But I can’t fault her for that.

But she let me wind the strip on cloth around her arm anyway. I was making small progress with her. Small steps - because if we were going to travel to Xadia, then we had to trust each other. Or at the very least, tolerate each other.

“Is your wing okay?” Prince Ezran piped up.

Rayla sighed. “It’s not the time to play healer, Ez. We need to keep moving - we already lost time for my _mildly_ _injured_ arm.”

Yet she had let me help her anyway.

“It’s doing much better now, thank you.” I smiled at the boy. My wing was better - I had a small bottle of ointment that I had applied to it, and it had helped the wound a lot. It wasn’t throbbing anymore, and had almost sealed.

He grinned back at me.

“Does your glowtoad have a name?” I asked, content to talk to the young prince. The princess snorted and rolled her eyes.

“He has a name all right. And a silly one at that.”

“Rayla! Don’t be like that!” He chided her, before looking up at me. “Yes - his name is Bait!”

The glowtoad - Bait - grunted at me, turning a pale shade of blue. The same shade as my skin.

“Ha! He likes you!” Ezran exclaimed.

“Well, Bait, I like your style.” I said, bumping the toad’s nose with my finger.

The boy gasped. “You have three fingers?”

I held my hand in front of me. “Yeah? I... don’t know what’s weird about that. Didn’t you know elves only have four digits?”

“It just looks weird.” He said, peering at my hand again.

“Weird?”

“Different. Ez means different. Don’t take it personally - he doesn’t mean to offend you.” Rayla cut in.

“I know where he’s coming from though. I mean, hold out your hand.” I said, and Ezran held his out. “Four fingers. And a thumb. It’s pretty weird to me.”

Ezran laughed. “I’ve never seen an elf - but I’m glad your the first one I’ve met!” He chirped.

I blinked. I couldn’t remember the last time someone was glad they’d met me. Or even seen me.

“Raylaaaaa! I’m hungryyy!” The prince whined, interrupting my thoughts. 

She sighed. “We should stop for a rest. Do you have any food in that pack?”

Ezran slung the pack off his shoulders and gently placed the egg on the grass next to the path. He rummaged around - but the bag was barely big enough to carry the egg, let alone provisions.

He looked up sheepishly. “Nope. Sorry.”

Rayla slapped her forehead. “How are we supposed to go on a trip to Xadia with _no_ _food_?”

I rifled through my small satchel - pulling out a leather pouch. “I have something.”

“What is that? It smells... funny.” Rayla observed, peering over.

“Just try some. It’s not too bad - but they’re not very filling.” I held out one.

The colour drained from both humans faces, and the princess pulled Ez behind her back. “No- no thanks. We don’t eat... bones.”

I frowned. “What? These aren’t bones! They’re roasted twigs from a Xadian pine!” I could kind of see the resemblance - they were a pale white, and they were in fragments that could pass for finger bones. But it still hurt that they thought that.

“Oh.” Rayla mumbled.

“Never mind.” I muttered, turning away from the humans.

“I’ll try them!” Ez chirped, seeing my expression.

“I’m not sure if you’ll like them, but they are food.” I said, handing one of the twigs to the prince.

He grabbed it, putting it in his mouth. “Oh wow. That’s weird.” He mumbled. “They’re... chewy?”

I gave him a small smile. “Yeah. The inside has sap that tastes like...” I trailed off, trying to find a food that they would know.

“Honey! It tastes like honey!” Ezran yelled happily.

“Sure. It tastes like honey.” I grinned, not having a clue as to what honey was. “Hey, want some?” I asked the princess. 

“Um... I’m not really hungry. But thank you.” She said.

We rested off the track again. The small pouch of twigs were not filling at all, so Ezran’s stomach soon started rumbling again.

I slumped down, leaning on a tree and pulling out my sketchbook. I started to draw the egg. What the dragon in there might look like.

The princess sat down next to me, looking over at my drawing. “That’s... really good.” She commented.

“Thanks. It’s only a rough sketch so far though.”

“Still pretty good. What else have you drawn?”

I flipped through some pages - there was the castle, the giant tree that was in the middle of a valley we passed, even Sol Regem. I decided to just pass her the book.

She brushed her fingers over the one of the castle. After a days walking, we couldn’t quite see it in the distance - but Rayla seemed comforted by the sketch. 

She flipped to the tree, then to the dragon. “Oh wow. Did you see this dragon in person?”

“Unfortunately, yes. He is pretty foul-tempered. Do not recommend meeting him.”

Rayla laughed. “What happened to his face?” She asked, staring at the horrible scar webbing over his face.

“It’s a long story, but a dark mage cast a fireball at him. Sol Regem is now blinded, and has a prejudice against all humans.”

“Well that’s not fair.” She said.

“What part isn’t fair?”

“That he hates all humans. And I’m sure that the human mage was protecting himself or something - it probably wasn’t unprovoked.” Rayla reasoned.

“What, unprovoked like killing the king of the dragons and destroying his only heir?”

“The egg isn’t destroyed! It’s right over there!” Rayla exclaimed, exasperated.

I cringed at the glowing egg. “Sorry. I’ve been told that that’s what happened for a while now. It’s gonna take some getting used to.”

“And we weren’t unprovoked. The king of the dragons killed my mother. Sarai.”

I frowned sadly and looked away from the princess. “She was your mother? I’m.. I’m sorry.” I knew of Queen Sarai, but the though that she was Rayla and Ezran’s mother hadn’t crossed my mind yet.

She sighed. “It’s alright. You know what? Let’s continue. I want to know what elves think happened.“

“Alright. If you want. Wasn’t your mo... weren’t the humans in Xadia? Killing a Xadian titan?”

“Yes - but to end a famine in Duren. One hundred thousand were going to starve to death in their kingdom, and the heart of that titan was going to save them.”

“Oh. I... I never heard that side of the story.” I murmured.

Rayla looked confused. “What were you told?”

I looked up at the sky, watching the clouds float over us. “We were told that humans were not content with what they had and they ventured into Xadia for the heart of a titan. That... that the Queen of Katolis and the Queens of Duren deserved to die.”

Rayla inhaled sharply and when I looked over, her eyes were stinging with tears. “My mother gave her life for a hundred thousand other. And they say she... should’ve died.” She was angry now, her fists clenched tightly. 

“I’ve heard the whole story now. And I’m angry too - if it were up to me, I would’ve handed the titans heart to Katolis and Duren in a heartbeat.” I said.

Rayla was mad at me now, glaring at me. “How can you say that? You were just sent to kill a father and his  _ child _ !”

I stared at the ground, shame burning through me. And guilt. Plenty of guilt. “I had nothing in Xadia. No parents, no one who loved me, just me and the sky. I took to magic and before I knew it, I was taken in by a mage.

“He thought me everything I know today - but in the end, I was just a tool to him. Just a test subject for his spells. I stayed though, because I had no one else. Nothing else.

“Then one day a moonshadow elf knocks on the door and I’m wanted for a mission. I had wings, an affinity for sky magic, I was small and fast. The reward was so much - an apprenticeship to a mage in Lux Aurea, recognition from the Dragon Queen... it would change my whole life. So I took it.” I said bitterly. “And I screwed up the one job I had, all the assassins are probably dead, and it’s my fault.”

“Do you regret it?” Rayla whispered. 

I lifted my head to meet her gaze, my vision blurry with tears. “No. I regret nothing. I’m actually really glad I didn’t hurt anyone - I managed to do some good.”

I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand and stood, but Rayla caught my wrist.

“I’m sorry. For thinking that you were a monster.” She blurted, and I smiled. 

“It’s alright. I thought the same about humans before I met you two - it’s funny that you’re the best people I’ve ever met.” I grinned, helping her up.

“We are?”

“Yeah. Even though I’ve only known you two for, like, a day. You are both kind, and good hearted. I don’t care if you judged me when we met because I judged you too. The important thing is that you changed your mind.”

She smiled softly back. “That is one of the wisest things I’ve ever heard.”

I chuckled. “Even after living in a castle full of nobles?”

She snorted. “ _ Especially _ after that. Everyone in there are pompous fools who like to think that they’re important.”

I burst out laughing, and before long she joined me.

“Rayla! I got an idea!” Ezran yelled, interrupting us.

She sighed, straightening. “What is it, Ez?”

“The Banther Lodge! It’s not far from here - and there will be food there!”

“Isn’t it the winter lodge? Why would there be food?” She asked.

“We should at least try!”

“That... is a good point.” Rayla said. “Alright. Let’s go.”

“Aren’t we trying to get to Xadia?” I asked.

“The Banther Lodge is on the way. Plus, we really need food.” Ezran complained.

“What if there are humans?” I asked.

“It’s the  _ winter _ lodge. No winter, no humans.” Rayla crossed her arms. “It’ll be fine.”

As we followed the trail to the lodge, Rayla walked up to my side.

“I didn’t get an answer.”

I glanced at her. “What answer?”

“Why did you do it. Stop the dagger from killing me. I had pointed a sword at you, then the sword was at your throat, I was threatening to  _ kill _ you... but you stopped the knife. At the cost of your wing.” Her face was composed, but her voice was cracking a little.

“I...” I searched my head, trying to remember the thoughts that were going through my head when it all went down. “I don’t know.”

Rayla looked... I wasn’t even sure. Nothing happy though - she wanted an answer, and what I said probably didn’t make her feel any better.

“I guess I knew you didn’t deserve to die. You were just protecting yourself, protecting your brother. I wasn’t going to let you pay for that with your life. It wasn’t right.”

She smiled at me at that. “Thank you. For everything - not hurting Ez, for sparing me, for helping us take this egg across a continent.”

I grinned. “No problem. I’m always happy to help a damsel in destress.” I had the idea that Rayla was the exact opposite - and that calling her such would really annoy her.

She scowled at me, much to my delight. “I’m not a damsel. If anything, you’re the damsel.” She grumbled, and I laughed at her.

“One more question. Why are you taking the egg with us, and not the tall scary elf?” She asked, serious again.

“Do you want the reasonable answer or the personal one?”

“Reasonable first.”

“Alright.” I sighed. “Because, ideally, a human returning the egg would be a grand gesture that could stop the war - especially if said human is a royal ki-prince.”

I almost let it slip. They were not ready to find out that their father’s life had been taken just last night - I couldn’t do that to them.

But Ezran... he was a king now.

I would tell them. Later.

“Makes sense.” Rayla nodded, unaware of my little slip. “Personal next.”

“Well, I like you guys a lot more than I like Runaan. Runaan is a terrifying, efficient, massive pain in my ass who tolerates me at best. And even when you guys were wary of me, I would rather spend a month with you guys than another week with Runaan.”

Rayla smiled teasingly. “Awwww, that’s sweet. You’ve already fallen prey to Ezran’s natural charm.”

“Oh no. What shall I do.” I rolled my eyes, but it was true. Ezran was just too  _ sweet _ not to like and it was already annoying.

It took an hour of walking to get to the giant, wooden lodge.

“Alright. I’ll be in and out.” I said, rolling my shoulders.

“Good luck. You remember where it is?” Rayla asked.

I nodded. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

I sprinted forward, jumping up posts and onto the roof. I climbed in the open window I had spied form the ground - and I was in.

It was even bigger on the inside. I leapt from support to support, crawling across the beams to the dining room.

Just as I was about to swing to the ground, the door was kicked in. I almost jumped - but I stayed still from high up, watching the door carefully.

“I don’t believe in locks.” A male voice sounded.

Then a woman in full armour strolled in. I ha Denver seen her before, but I had heard stories. And there was no way I wouldn’t recognise the giant shield, scar and short haircut.

General Amaya of Katolis.

Rayla:

Bad went to worse when Amaya showed up. I loved her, but now was not the time to come trotting along with a squad of heavily armed soldiers. Not when there was an elf with us.

Callum was inside, and we were trying to explain to Amaya why the window was slightly ajar.

“Um... we had to climb in.” I offered.

“Yeah!” Ez joined in.

“But why are you here?” I asked. 

“We heard that there was trouble in the castle and we were sent here. We were told that Soren and Claudia were to take you here.” Gren said, translating the sign language.

“Oh. I see.” I mumbled. Soren and Claudia were mean to be here?! Then where were they?!

“Speaking of the two, where are they?” Gren asked, mirroring my thoughts.

“They... aren’t here.” I said.

“Do you know where they are?” Gren asked kindly.

“They... went for an afternoon walk! Yeah! They wanted to go out into nature for a bit.” Ezran saved.

I breathed out a sigh of relief when Amaya seemed to believe it.

“Let’s go inside.” Gren said.

“Uhhhhh... why don’t we stay out here for a bit?” I said. “Nature and everything? Soren and Claudia had the right idea, it is a  _ beautiful _ evening.”

Amaya shook her head. “We should go inside.” Gren translated her signing.

I sighed as she strolled up the steps and tries the door. “Why is this locked?” Gren asked.

“Soren forgot the key.. and... we used the window to get in! Like we said!” Ezran explained. 

Amaya stepped back a bit, then kicked the doors off their hinges.

“I don’t believe in locks.” Gren translated. 

Fantastic. The only good thing about Amaya smashing the doors apart was there was no way that Callum wouldn’t know she was here. 

I glanced up, and I saw a shadow perching high up on the supports. It was barely noticeable - the shape was deathly still and pressed against a wall.

I gave the shadow a sheepish smile and followed Amaya to the kitchen.

“Are you sure there is no one else here?” Gren asked.

“Positive.” I replied, trying not to sound nervous.

Amaya narrowed her eyes at me, but then rifled through the cupboard for some food.She pulled out... a baguette. That was so stale that it would be better suited as a club.

I straightened, an idea coming to me suddenly. “Do you want me to go to the storeroom?” I asked, almost yelling. Surely Callum would hear me.

“You don’t need to be loud, Rayla.” Gren scolded lightheartedly. 

“I’m going to go to the storeroom.” I announced loudly, getting up from the table.

Ezran nodded solemnly - he knew what I was doing.

I left the room and almost stomped down the hall to the small room - praying that the elf got the hint.

I opened the door and yelped when one hand clamped around my mouth and the other around my forearm, and dragged me into the room before shutting the door behind me.

“Quiet!” Callum whispered. “Are you going to be loud?” He asked.

I shook my head, and he let go of me. “Sorry about that. It’s just... you know.” He said, gesturing to outside.

“Oh yeah. I... wasn’t expecting Amaya to come here.” I said, looking to the ground guiltily.

“It was a pretty sucky surprise. ‘It’s the  _winter_ lodge! No  _winter_ , no  _humans_ !’” He mocked, crossing his arms and frowning.

I cringed. “There are a lot of guards. I don’t know how we’re going to get out of here.”

Suddenly the door burst open and Callum shoved me behind a shelf instantly. I watched as Amaya advanced, shield and sword in hand.

Callum tucked his wings in close and started to draw a rune, but Amaya knocked his head with the shield. Hard. He lost consciousness, falling to the ground. I almost cried out - but then Amaya would find me.

She raised her sword, about to... to kill him. I stumbled forward a few steps, but luckily the sound was drowned out by Gren shouting.

“General Amaya! The prince and princess are gone!”

Amaya scowled at the crumpled form of Callum, sheathing her sword and hauling him over her shoulder. She carried his limp body away - he wasn’t dead. He couldn’t be dead.

Even after knowing him for only a day, the thought was unbearable.

Callum:

I gained consciousness groggily, my head throbbing. I tried to move my arms, to get up, but I was tied to a post. I started struggling and the two soldiers put their hands on their sword hilts, daring me to move any more. 

At least my wings were fine. She hadn’t touched them.

“Where are they?!” The General’s interpreter shouted.

I shrunk back as the woman slammed her shield into the ground in front of me.

“Where are they?!” He yelled again.

“Where are who?” I asked. Play dumb. Stall. Come up with a plan.

“You know who!!”

“I’m here for food. That’s all.” I said, lowering my head took away from the terrifying general.

She grabbed my jaw and yanked it up to look at her. “Don’t look away from me.” He warned as the woman made hand movements.

“I _said_ that’s all.” I jerked my head out of her grasp.

“I will start with your horns.” The man interpreted when the General stood, threatening me. “Cut them off. Then your wings - pluck out every feather. Then I will -“

I interrupted her by swinging my legs around to collide with hers and knocking her off her feet. One of the guards moved to slash at me with their sword, but they missed when I dodged and the rope was cut instead.

My hands freed, I sprinted up the stairs, meeting the princess and prince as they ran down.

“Come on!” I yelled, hurrying them up with me, running out the main entrance and to the open area.

It was dark now - how long was I out?

We bolted to the bridge - but there were soldiers running towards us from there. We doubled back, but we were surrounded.

The General advanced, and archers took aim at me.

The look on her face showed no mercy.

Rayla:

“Stop right there, elf!” Gren yelled. “Rayla. Ezran. Come here.”

We hesitated, not moving.

“You two, get away from her.” Gren interpreted.

“Wait!” I shouted, then started signing.

“What are you  _saying_ ?” Callum asked me. 

“She says that if we don’t let you go, you’ll kill them and drink their blood. That you’re a  _monster_ .” Gren said, translating for Amaya.

Callum turned his head to me, hurt flashing through his green eyes. 

“Right. So you have to let us go.” I said, looking away from the elf.

“It’s okay Rayla. I’ve slain monsters before.” Gren yelled. “Do it. Take him out.”

Arrows flew from bows, aiming straight for Callum. I stumbled forward, but before Amaya had even finished giving the order, Callum had stretched his wings out and flapped then in a powerful gust that sent him a few feet in the air.

One arrow missed, and he flapped again but the other caught the end of his wing. It took a feather with it, pinning the tuft to a tree behind us. 

He landed smoothly on his feet and grabbed me and Ez, unsheathing my sword from my belt and holding it to my neck in one deft movement. His breath was hot in my ear as he spoke.

“Go ahead. Take another shot. But read my lips - do it again and I’ll _end them both in half a second_!” He yelled and Amaya blinked, stunned.

She held up a hand and the archers lowered their bows.

“Let’s go.” He muttered, dragging us to the docks.

“A- a boat? I don’t think that it’s-“ I started, but Callum shoved me towards a the vessel.

“Just get in.” He growled.

I couldn’t tell if he was acting or if he was seriously upset.

Me and Ez started rowing, and I gulped as the boat rocked when he got in. He stood up, sword in one hand, glaring at the guards peering over the bridge at us. 

They stayed in their places, letting us go. 

Callum:

Once we were a safe distance, I sat down at the front of the boat and wrapped my wings around myself.

I remembered how I had reached for the pack with the egg in it as we were heading to the docks and Rayla had yanked it away from me, not letting me take it. She didn’t trust me. Even after today.

“I can’t believe that worked.” Rayla sighed.

“I can’t believe you’re such a jerk.” I snapped.

“What? What’s wrong?” Rayla sounded confused. Like she didn’t know what happened.

“You called me a bloodthirsty monster! You have no idea how that it feels.” I muttered, pulling my knees close to my chest.

“I... I didn’t actually believe any of that. I was just trying to scare her! I thought she would back down.” She tried to explain.

“Oh, and that went well. They tried to _kill_ me!” I yelled, turning around a bit to face her. She looked... really guilty. And sad. And ashamed.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for any of that to happen.” She murmured.

“Well, it did.” I turned back to face the front of the boat, before tossing a bag with bread, red fruit and some almost-stale crackers to her. “I got some food.”

She didn’t respond, but I could tell she couldn’t bring herself to look at me. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, beta reader wanted! I need one to find plot holes and mistakes and everything else that’s wrong with my stories that I only notice when it’s too late, so if you are up for it comment below and I will be happy to set something up!


	5. An Empty Throne

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s the boat episode! Enjoy :)

Callum:

It wasn’t too long before I decided to not hold a grudge. Rayla had been trying to do the right thing, and in the end it had helped a little.

She had been silent for a while now, and I was starting to feel bad.

“Hey, you okay?” I asked as I turned around to check on the human.

“I’m completely fine. That why I’m-“ she gulped loudly, “down here. To be closer to the boat.”

“You don’t look so good.” I observed.

“I’m fine. I just- just  _love boats_ so much.”

Somehow I doubted that - she was kinda green and she was leaning over the side of the boat.

“Okay, that was definitely sarcasm. What is going on?”

“Boats... water... ugh.” She mumbled, gulping.

I stepped over to her side, and the boat rocked violently. I was confident that it wouldn’t tip, but Rayla retched loudly over the side of the vessel as I squatted next to her.

“I’m sorry!” I apologised, patting her back.

“You should be.” She grumbled.

I winced. “Alright. I’ve got a game to help take your mind off water - 5 Questions.”

“Do you have to?”

“It’ll help. Do you want to try it?” I asked.

“Fine.” She mumbled, then cursed violently when the boat swayed as I sat down on the bench. 

“You have a... colourful vocabulary.” I commented, eyes widening at her language.

“Thanks. Now are you going to tell me how this game works or am I going to continue being sick?”

“Okay. I ask you five questions - you have to answer them truthfully. Only if you want to answer them though.” I hastily added.

“Okay. Go. First one.” She said, turning her head up to look at me.

“What is it like being a princess?”

She snorted. “It sucks. I haven’t been royalty my whole life, so I know what it is like being normal. Being a princess... you have so many expectations. Pressures. Be beautiful, be polite, find a husband. I mean, back off!” She yelled.

“Oh, I’m sorry-“

“No, not you. The stupid nobles and Harrow.”

I forced myself not to react as she said ‘Harrow’.

“Oh, right. I’m glad you’re not mad at me.”

“Oh no.” She frowned at me. “I’m mad at you. This,” she gestured widely to the ride and the river we were in, “is your fault. You made us get in this cursed, flimsy boat.”

“Fair.” I grinned. “Next: what is Katolis like?”

Rayla sighed a little. “It’s a pretty awesome place. Amazing views, most of the people are nice, and there is so much space. Anyone can be anything here. And the forests and mountains in their peace and stillness... Katolis is a beautiful place.”

I smiled at the trees surrounding us. “It is. I’ll have to sketch it as we go.”

“What  _ have _ you been drawing today?” She asked, resting her head on her crossed arms on the edge of the boat, looking up at me.

“Hey. I’m the one asking the questions!” I teased.

Her. I had been sketching her.

It was a work in progress, but it was of the first time we had met and she was so fiercely standing up to me. Five fingers was really hard to draw too - but I was getting there. But I couldn’t get her perfect - I couldn’t quite capture that warrior look in her eyes, that unending devotion to those she loved, the kindness that was starting to fall through the cracks in her rock-hard walls.

The things I saw in her whenever I looked at her.

“Hello? Earth to Callum?” Rayla waved a hand in front of my face.

I jolted. “Sorry. I was- I was thinking. Okay, next question.” I thought for a moment, not wanting to waste a single question. “Alright... why are-“

“No! Bait! Get out of the water!” Ezran yelled a the glowtoad, who was filling his tail in the river.

“What’s wrong with a swim?” I asked, peering over Rayla’s shoulder to where Bait was being fussed over by the prince. 

“Well, glowtoads are delicious to fish.” Rayla explained. “It’s a sick joke, because fishermen use glowtoads as ‘bait’.”

Ezran covered the sides of Bait’s head and shushed us. “He doesn’t know how delicious he is! So don’t tell him!”

Bait turned a vibrant red colour and grunted.

“That...  _ is _ a cruel joke.” I commented.

“Yeah. It is.” Rayla glanced at the glowtoad, and I sat on the floor of the boat next to her.

“Feeling better?” I asked.

“Maybe so.” She was smiling at me now, small but soft and happy.

“Guys?!” Ezran called.

“What is it?” Rayla yelled back.

Then I heard the water dashing against rocks, the river picking up in speed and if I strained my ears, the sound of a waterfall reached me.

“Hold on!” I yelled happily, pulling up Rayla and tugging her to the back of the boat as she yelped. I settled between the two humans and planted myself firmly on the planks.

“What the-“ Her voice cut off and her face paled considerably as she saw the rapids in front of us. “Oh my god. Nonononono-“

I flared my wings behind us to try to slow us down, and I gripped the wooden edges of the boat either side of us. Rayla gladly clung onto my vest with one hand, and Ezran squealed with delight as we hit the first rock.

“Pull it over!” Rayla yelled, screwing her eyes shut tightly.

“We can’t pull it over - just hold on!” I shouted in glee.

She whimpered as our boat smashed into a particularly large rock, jolting the vessel around until we were spinning around and around like a tornado.

“Um, Callum?!” Ezran yelled when we stopped spinning.

“I see it Ezran!” I shouted back. 

The waterfall. We were approaching it at a very high speed.

“Brace yourselves!” I bellowed, pulling my wings in and jamming my feet into the floor of the boat.

We toppled over the edge, all of us screaming. The thing was, me and Ezran were screaming with joy and excitement. Rayla was screaming out of pure terror, and it was kind of amusing.

My stomach felt like it was in my throat as we fell, but then we hit the calm lake with a splash and gently drifted into the middle. Rayla had been flung across to the front of the boat, and she was looking a little worse for wear. Sopping wet hair, very pale, greenish face... I felt a little guilty.

“Did that help you get over your fear of boats? Do you feel better about water now that you’ve faced your fear?” I asked, gently (this time) easing my way over to her.

“I have never-“ she cut off as she swallowed, probably forcing bile down. “I have  _ never _ felt  _ worse _ about water.” She growled, and I grinned a little.

“And she is back!” I said cheerfully.

“Um, guys? Has anyone seen Bait?” Ezran piped up, on his hands and knees trying to find the glowtoad, and I frowned.

“Is that him?” I asked, pointing to the green creature falling down the waterfall. 

“Bait! Use your froggy paddle!” Ezran called out as the glowtoad surfaced, and Bait glowed his normal yellow as he started swimming towards us.

“Yes, there we go!” Ezran exclaimed, pulling Bait out of the water. “You know you’re not supposed to go in the water!” He scolded, and Bait grunted his apologies.

I felt something stir beneath my feet. Something rocking the boat, too subtly for the humans to feel.

“Callum, what’s-“ Ezran started but I held my hand up to stop him.

I leaned over the edge a little, peering into murky depths of the lake.

Nothing.

But that was the weird part - there had been fishes I could see before. Swimming around leisurely and nibbling on algae. But now... nothing.

“Something isn’t right.” I murmured, standing up.

Bait growled, squirming to get away from the water. He felt it too - something that sent the hairs on the back of my neck standing up straight.

It all happened too fast for me to see - the boat was launched into the air, I was thrown away, a bloodcurdling roar shook the trees and made the air tremble.

Someone screamed again - not me, it was Rayla or Ezran. I felt something crunch in my wing as I hit the ground - how did I get to shore? We were just in the middle of the lake...

I dragged myself upright, leaning on a tree. My left wing was throbbing like never before- the wound had closed and it had still been weak but I had been almost able to fly. Now, I prodded gently further along the bone and a sharp pain sent me gasping.

No flying for another few days, at the very least.

I growled in frustration, the looked up to see Rayla and Ezran furiously paddling towards shore - but Bait was nowhere near as fast and he was being chased by the massive sea creature.

The monster had four eyes, glowing a menacing orange and red. It was a giant, slimy beast with teeth almost as long as me. And it was  _ hungry_.

“Guys!! Bait is behind you!!” I yelled over the creature’s growls and roars.

Ezran’s desperate expression turned into one of terror - for Bait I realised, as he turned in the water and started swimming furiously to get to the glowtoad.

He grabbed Bait - and became a prime target for the sea monster. It chased after them, Ezran barely dodging the massive jaws.

Rayla dragged herself up onto the bank, gasping for breath as she collapsed on the ground.

“Sweet, sweet land...” She mumbled, kissing the dirt before patting next to her. “Where is Ez?” She started, getting up off her stomach and into her knees to see Ezran get flipped up 3 meters in the air.

“Ezran!” She screamed, and she went to jump into the lake.

“Stop! I’ll get him!” I said, grabbing her arm and stepping in front of her as I slung my sketchbook and satchel off my shoulders. “Just... stay out of the water.”

“Why?! Ezran is in there-“

“Promise me you will stay out of the water.” I said firmly, catching her eye. 

She swallowed nervously. “Okay.” She said, her eyes wide and terrified as Ezran swam away, dodging the creature yet again.

I rolled my shoulders and ignored my wing screaming in protest. Flying it is.

I spread my wings tentatively, the left one searing, and I almost fell to my knees as a wave of pain crashed into me. 

“Callum-“

“I’m fine.” I grunted, and flapped then as hard as I could. I was sent into the air, spearing towards the prince who had dived under.

Just as I was almost at the monster, Ezran was flipped into the air again, this time directly above the monster’s waiting jaws.

“Ezran!!” Rayla screamed again, and I gritted my teeth as I shot forwards with a burst of speed.

I caught up to the prince just as he reached about twenty meters high, and I snatched him out of the air.

“Callum!” Ezran cried, hugging me tightly. My wings almost failed me with the unexpected new weight, but I forced them to keep going. To ignore the pain that surely meant a broken bone in my wing.

I turned to face the monster. I glanced to Rayla - she was at the bank, but she wasn’t in the water. Good.

“ _ Fulminus._” I murmured, drawing the lightning rune and electricity arched off my hand and connected with the monster. It wouldn’t have mattered if I hadn’t hit the creature - it fried him, killing him instantly.

I couldn’t remember anything after that.

Rayla:

Callum was like those angels Opeli told us about; wings that kept him hovering in the air with every tremendous beat, cradling Ezran and Bait in one arm and shooting lightning with the other.

I couldn’t take my eyes off of him - majestic and powerful as he saved Ezran while raining death upon the deep sea creature.

Majestic and powerful. Just like an angel. 

He swooped down, coming down to a graceful landing on his feet before collapsing.

“Ezran!” I rushed to Ez’s side, holding him close as he shivered with the cold breeze on his wet clothes.

“I’m fine...” He muttered, coughing again.

I turned to thank Callum, but the elf wasn’t moving. “Callum! Oh my god - are you okay?!” I cried, shaking his shoulders.

He didn’t respond.

I pressed my ear to his lips - breathing. He was alive.

I sobbed a laugh, embracing him tightly. He was alive.

I felt something brush my back - Callum’s hand. “M’kay. How are you?” He whispered.

“You stupid elf! Do not do that again!” I yelled, but despite my words I hugged him closer.

“‘Kay.”

I pulled back to see his face. “What’s wrong? I’m sure it’s not normal for sky elves to pass out when they fly!”

“My wing... I landed on it when the thing flipped the boat.” He said hoarsely.

“Left or right?”

“Left.”

I winced. “That wing is not going well so far.”

Callum laughed a little. “It’s really not, between the knife and... now this.”

I saw a bump in the wing just above the cut from the knife - it was swollen already. 

“It’s not looking great.” I said, not daring to brush my fingers along the bone. “But I don’t think that it’s broken.”

Callum groaned. “Thank the Nexus. But is it too much to ask for the universe to just let me fly?”

“It’s alright. Walking isn’t so bad.” I smiled a little at Callum and his lips tugged upwards as well. 

I glanced to the shore just as the boat drifted away. “Oh no!” I exclaimed, sarcasm dripping from my voice as I got up and gestured to the vessel. “Our boat seems to have drifted away!”

It immediately started floating back towards the bank and bumped against the shore. I scowled at the stupid thing, mentally bracing myself for another boat journey, but Callum had gotten up and he nudged it away with his foot. 

“You know, walking isn’t so bad.” He said, watching it drift away. 

I grinned at him gratefully and he smiled back. “Let’s go.” He said, hoisting Ezran up on his shoulders, and I took up the pack that had the egg in it. 

Ezran giggled and shouted a war cry, leading us forward. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right so I’m having a bit of a writers block again so my other story, ‘A New Year’, is on hold temporarily. On the positive side, this means I’m doing oneshots to try to fix it.  
> I’m going to be releasing the first oneshot, uninspiringly called ‘Epilogue’, by the end of this week. It’s set just after the events of the last episode of season 3 - like right after.


	6. Through the Ice

I woke up with the sound of a branch snapping. Sitting up, I glanced around. Who was it?

Ezran and Rayla were sleeping together, breathing softly and occasionally frowning. Bait was snoring, being cuddled by Ezran tightly. 

So someone else was out there. 

I was alert instantly, jumping up and forcing down a wince at the pain in my wing. My ears twitched, trying to hear anything else. 

Another branch snapped. 

I bolted in the direction, my feet padding on the ground almost silently. It was a small clearing - a twig was in two pieces on the ground. Broken from being stepped on. 

Then a bush rustled in front of me. I grabbed a stick from the ground and brandished it at the shrub, slowly advancing on it. 

Who could it be? A human, no doubt. From the Banther Lodge? Possibly. 

The thing in the bush staggered out - a fawn. It was unsure and unsteady on its legs, wobbling around. 

“Nawww, where’s your mother?” I asked the animal, scratching under its chin. 

The creature whimpered at me, leaning into me for support. It wasn’t injured, just young and tired. 

A rustle of leaves. My ears perked up, listening intently. The fawn’s did too. So I wasn’t imagining things. 

I stood up when I heard leaves crunch, and the fawn galloped away with a burst of speed. I drew an ice rune, ready to release it at whatever was making noise. 

Then a chain shot out of the foliage and almost hit my head. I jerked away and yelled the incantation for the spell. “ _Aspiro frigius_ !” 

Frost flew from my fingertips, aimed at the grappling hook that was embedded in a tree. In a second it was frozen, stuck to the trunk. 

A human emerged, dark skinned and serious. He whipped the chain around and the ice shattered, freeing the hook - which he swung at my head again. 

I jumped backwards, turning and running away through the forest. The occasional tree splintering next to me told me that he was still after me, keeping up with my frantic pace. 

I skidded to a stop in front of a steep decline into a ditch. I whirled around, and the human was swinging his hook menacingly. “Where are they?” He asked, polite yet threatening. 

“Where are who?” I asked, flaring my wings out slightly.

He sighed. “Tell me where the royal family is and I will keep you alive. For now.”

I didn’t respond, so he threw the hook at me. I stepped aside and grabbed the chain in midair, yanking it forward and sending him stumbling over the edge and into the ditch

I sprinted back to the camp - Ez and Rayla were awake. Rayla was blushing and Ezran was grinning at her.

“We need to go. Now.” I said, pulling them onto their feet and glancing around us.

“What’s going on? Where were you?” Rayla asked, slightly suspicious.

“No time to explain. Let’s go, go, go!” I yelled, picking up a pack and handing to her.

The human fell down a long way - but it wouldn’t stop him for long. He was going to be back. And we needed to be gone.

After an hour of walking, we came across a fork in the path.

One road was smooth and easygoing, and the either went up a mountain - a treacherous path. Perfect.

“Alright. Let’s go this way.” I said, moving to the steep road.

“Why don’t we go the easy way?” Ezran asked, looking over at the road.

“This path is flat, it’s soft - sooner or later, we’re going to run into someone.” I said, gesturing to the path. “But this way,” I continued, pointing to the steep climb, “this way we won’t see anyone else.”

“But it’s already hard enough!” Ezran whined. “Do you know how heavy this egg is?”

“No. I wouldn’t know. Because you guys won’t let me hold it!” I countered. “I would be happy to carry it.”

Just as I expected, Ezran just grabbed the bag’s straps and pulled them tighter over his shoulders. He wasn’t budging. And Rayla didn’t look like she was about to tell Ez to give it to me either. 

“That’s what I thought.” I muttered, turning and making my way up the steep path.

We hiked up the mountain for an hour or two before Ezran’s stomach began growling.

“Alright - let’s eat!” I said, stretching my limbs and sitting down.

Rayla took the second pack that didn’t have the egg in it and searched through it with her hand.

Her movements became frantic after a moment and her eyes widened. “Oh no. About that... I don’t have the food.”

“What?” I said, smiling - this was a little funny. “You had one job - get your stale human food!” I smirked. She was unbelievable - and really cute when she was panicking.

_ Whoa _ . Where did that thought come from? I would have to figure it out later - if the humans didn’t have food, we were in trouble.

“You rushed me!” She accused. “You made us leave in a hurry!”

“Ah, yes. Because I remember yelling three things- ‘Hurry, hurry, hurry! Let’s go go go!’” I stared Rayla straight in the eye, smirking. “And be sure to leave behind all provisions you need to survive!”

She glared at me, daring me to continue poking fun at her. “What are we going to do?”

“I guess I could share some of my-“ I rifled through my satchel, but I couldn’t find it. “What?” I pulled out an empty pouch - the pouch that used to have my twigs in it.

“Alright. Who ate all of my pine twigs?” I asked, getting up and showing the pouch to the humans.

“I didn’t!” Ezran said, looking up at me with wide, innocent eyes.

“Neither.” Rayla added. They weren’t lying, I could tell.

“So if I didn’t eat them, and neither of you two did, then who...” I trailed off as Bait hiccuped.

He was a pale colour. A greyish white colour.

“You...” I groaned, stepping over to the glowtoad.

“Hey! Don’t accuse him!” Ezran jumped to Bait’s defence. “How do you know he did it?”

“Look at what colour he is!” I pointed out.

“Hmmmm...” Ezran thought. “He has a different colour for every emotion. Like one for happy, one for sad, one for hangry-“ Ezran cut off as Bait grunted again.

“That’s when you’re so hungry that you’re angry.” Rayla helpfully added.

“I know what hangry means.” I told her, exasperated. “And what does that colour mean?” I asked, crossing my arms.

“Actually, I’ve never seen him turn that colour before. It’s like a... white, pale, bone-y... yeah. He ate them.” Ezran hung his head in defeat and sighed.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. “And now we have no food.”

“Are you... hangry?” Rayla asked, taking a little too much enjoyment in my frustration as she smiled. Karma, I guess.

I glared at her in return.

We found ourselves surrounded by ice and snow after another hour or two of walking, the trees dusted with white frost.

“Callum... can you... wait up?” Ezran wheezed, wading through snow that was up to his knees.

“It’s your fault we took this path. At least let us keep up with you!” Rayla called, and I climbed up a small ledge to wait for them.

“I need... a break... from... carrying this egg...” Ezran puffed, falling backwards a little into the snow.

“You know, there is an easy solution.” I said, crossing my arms. “You can let me carry the egg.”

Rayla came up to the icy ledge, and I held my arm out to help her up. She took it, hauling herself up before helping Ezran up.

She didn’t answer me.

“You know I could just take the egg, right? Just take the bag and fly all the way to Xadia.” I snapped.

“Then why don’t you?” Rayla shot back.

“Because it’s the gesture that matters! Like I told you, the human royals returning the egg is the part that will stop the war!” I yelled.

“Guys-“ Ezran murmured, but Rayla ignored him.

“Oh wow, great way to build trust! You could take the egg and run away, you deserve a medal! You’re a real  hero for not threatening us!” Rayla shouted back.

“Guys?” Ezran tried again.

“I  _ would _ be a hero! I would-“

“Guys!” The prince shouted. I stopped yelling and glared at him.

“What is-“ I started, but he pointed up at the ice cliff behind us.

“The ice is cracking because you’re yelling. So stop fighting. Okay?” He almost whispered it, his eyes wide and scared. “You could start an avalanche.”

“Yup.” I squeaked as an audible crack sounded from the cliff.

“Crystal clear.” Rayla replied, looking equally terrified. 

“Good. It’s stopped cracking.” Ezran whispered.

He stepped in front of us and held his hands out in thumbs-up gestures, and we nodded back. We started walking up the path again, eager to get away from the fragile ice wall.

Then, right on cue, a massive belch roared behind us. We froze, turning around to stare at the satisfied glowtoad, who seemed impressed with himself at the amount of  _ noise _ he just made. 

The burp echoed around the mountain, resonating off the icy walls.

The ground started trembling with the force of an earthquake - and when I looked up, I could see the wall of snow advancing.

“Run!!” I yelled, grabbing the human’s hands and dragging them down the path. 

“It’s like a - a snownami!” Rayla shouted back as we sprinted down the path.

I was about to snark something back but Ezran tripped over, tumbling down the slope slightly.

“Ez!” She cried, helping him up and stumbling down the path - which was made infinitely more difficult with the foot high snow.

“We’re not going to make it!” Ezran called out. 

I had an idea - one that might work. Or at least save us from dying.

“Get behind me!” I roared over the rumbling of the mountain, herding the humans behind my wings. Only the right wing actually spread out - I could barely feel my left one. But I was sure that if I tried to move it, I would regret it dearly. 

“ _ Aspiro _ !” I yelled, drawing the rune just as the avalanche surged around the corner and barrelled towards us.

It created a small cone of protection as I breathed out, but I would eventually run out of air. I couldn’t keep up the spell forever, and certainly not until the cascade of snow ended.

And eventually my breath did run out, and the avalanche poured over us. My vision went black as I was bowled over and buried under snow and ice.

I burst through the snow - thankfully my left wing was still numb, although I wasn’t sure if that was such a good sign anymore - gasping for breath. 

“Is everyone okay?” I called, spotting Rayla as she jumped out of the snow pile.

“Where is that glowtoad-“ She growled, unimpressed.

“Bait? He’s over there.” Ezran yelled from behind her. He was on a frozen over lake, getting up onto his feet clumsily. “And he’s fine.”

Bait grunted at us, shaking snow from his head as Rayla scowled at the glowtoad.

“I’m going to get the egg.” Ezran declared, spotting the egg in the middle of the lake where is must’ve slipped out of the pack.

He inched over to it, but as soon as he picked it up and took a step the I’ve under his foot cracked.

It was a lot thinner than I thought it was. 

“Ezran! Don’t move!” Rayla called, trying to hide her distress. It didn’t really work.

She stepped over to Ezran, quick but light-footed. I pushed off the bank and skidded over just as she knelt in front of him, holding her arms out. “Easy does it. Just pass it over...”

Ezran placed the egg in her hands and she turned around - but when she stepped towards me, the ice started to snap and crack under her.

“What now?” I asked.

“Now... I’m going to give you the egg.” Rayla said. “I’m sorry about before. I do trust you.” She looked up at me earnestly.

I stepped forwards, then shoes away. “No. Not yet. I... I don’t deserve your trust. There are some thing I have to tell you.” I took a deep breath in and looked a her in the eye.

“This morning... I rushed you guys because I had to fight someone off.” Rayla’s eyes widened at that. “A human. He came for you guys, and I stopped him... and I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”

“It’s okay Callum. But now isn’t really the time - can you take the egg?” Rayla asked, holding it out. 

“One more thing. That night... your father - the king - he-“ I was cut off by ice cracking. 

“Just take it!” Rayla yelled, handing it to me. I took it - but it was way heavier than I expected and I dropped it. 

It smashed through the thin layer of ice and started to sink down to the bottom of the lake. 

“You... you dropped it?” Rayla cried out. 

“I’m sorry, it was heavy! I didn’t know it was-“

“Guys!” Ezran yelled. “Stop arguing! We need to do something!” He looked around, then at the hole in the ice.

“Ez, no!” Rayla yelled, seeing the way he was glancing at the hole. And then he jumped in. 

“Ezran!” Rayla shouted, scrambling to the hole. “I’m going in after him!” She declared firmly, about to dive into the freezing waters. 

“Don’t!” I yelled, grabbing her and pulling her away from the hole, landing on my back with her on top of me. 

“What?! Why?!” She shouted back, fighting to get out of my grip. 

“He’ll get it! He’ll save the egg!” I kept her trapped in my arms, rolling over so my wings weren’t pinned. “And we’re going to need to be up here to pull him out!” I reasoned. 

“But he’s just a kid!” She yelled, pushing me off her and lurching for the hole again. 

I grabbed her wrist with both hands. “Ezran and brave and strong. He can do this.”

She wrenched her arm out of my grip and ran towards the water. I was about to tackle her again but she knelt by the hole, watching it carefully. 

She was silent, but I could tell that she was panicking. 

“It’s going to be okay. Ez will get it.” I tried to reassure her, but terror still flashed through her eyes. 

We knelt by the hole, searching the waters intently for any sign of Ezran. I didn’t even care about the egg - as long as Ez was okay. 

But we waited. We waited ten seconds. Then thirty. Then a full minute. 

Still no sign of Ez.

“You- you were wrong.” Rayla choked. I glanced up at her and tears were rolling down her cheeks. My scarf whipped around in the wind that howled around the peaks. “He’s... not coming back.”

“I’m- I’m _so_ sorry.” I said softly. “I thought that he would able to...” I trailed off, and Rayla cupped her hand to her mouth, tears flowing freely down her face. 

Ezran was gone. Screw the egg. Ezran was like family to me - we’d only known each other a few days but he was kind to me. From the start, he cared about me. 

A stray tear slipped from my own eye. I didn’t bother to wipe it away. 

But then I heard a banging - Ezran was still alive!

I skidded to a darker patch in the ice - a thinner spot - and there he was! Hitting the ice with his fist!

“Rayla! He’s over here!” I called, and she sprinted up to me, skidding to a stop and unsheathe got her sword. She smashed the ice with the hilt, again, and again - and it cracked open!

Ezran bobbed up, looking unconscious. I reached out and grabbed his shirt, trying to pull him in but we was waterlogged. Rayla gripped my feet and dragged me backwards until Ez was finally out of the water. 

He collapsed on the ice and the egg rolled from him grip - the egg! I only just noticed that he had saved it! 

Rayla knelt down next to his limp form and pulled him up in a tight embrace. “Ezran, Ez - you saved it! You did it, you got the egg back!” But Ezran didn’t respond. 

I stepped closer, trying to see if he was alive - he was still limp in Rayla’s arms, and I couldn’t tell if he was breathing. “Please- please Ez; you’ve got to be okay-“ Her voice broke. “Just - just say something.” 

His eyes fluttered open, and he was looking at Rayla. “I-I th-th-think that I’ve got a c-case of th-the f-f-frozies t-t-toesies.” He said. 

He was freezing and soaking, but he was okay. He was _alive_!

Rayla laughed a little - but it was more like sobs - as she hugged him closer. I knelt down, embracing them both in a group hug. 

We all really needed a hug after today. 

“Oh no.” Ezran muttered, and we pulled back. He was staring at the egg. Which was no longer glowing. 

“S-something’s wrong w-with the egg.” He said, watching the glow fade into a dull, grey colour. 


	7. The Dagger and the Wolf

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew! A quarter of the way done already!  
> This chapter took me a while to get right but hopefully it all works. Enjoy :)

Callum:

We found a small cave before long, but Ezran wouldn’t stop shivering. He was sniffling too - he was probably going to get sick if we didn’t make a fire and get him warm soon.

“I’ll be back. I need to go find some food.” I announced.

Rayla nodded, then went back to wrapping the cloak around Ez.

I slid down a snowy slope that took me to a small grove. It was perfect conditions for a certain type of berries to grow - sheltered, cold but not too warm, very damp.

I searched around the trunks of all the trees, trying to find a vine. Anything that wrapped around the wood. 

Night was falling, which made my search both harder and easier. Harder because it was really dark up here, easier because these vines would glow a little in the moonlight. 

I finally found a tree with vines tearing around it, it’s leaves teaching towards the sky. To the moon. 

I crouched down and crawled under the low hanging branches of the tree and found a small bush - it had berries! Moonberries!

I gathered a small pouch of them and tucked them away in my satchel. They would keep us fed for about a day - we could worry about more food tomorrow. 

As I was making my way back to the cave, I saw a small plant that had pushed its way through the snow. Two berries were hanging off it - bogeyberries! Perfect for Ezran!

I picked them and smiled. We were all good for now. This trip was actually working! The idea of bringing the egg to the Dragon Queen seemed... more real now. And not like an impossible task.

I walked back into the cave just as the wind outside began to howl. Tonight would be cold. Really cold.

“Hey. I found some moonberries.” I said, kneeling down and opening the pouch. Ez stepped away from the fire to pop some into his mouth. Rayla snapped awake too, grabbing a few berries for herself. “They should keep us full... for a day.”

“Mmmm. These are really good.” Ezran mumbled.

“That reminds me! Ezran, I have something else for you.” I pulled out the green berries and showed them to him. “Bogeyberries! They’re used in Xadia to cure colds.” I handed them to him and he looked like he was about to put them in his mouth.

“Not quite.” I said, grinning. “To cure a stuffy nose, you have to stuff them up your nose!”

Ezran eyed the berries. “Seems doable.”

I stood, seeing the egg resting close to the fire, out of the backpack. “How’s the egg?” I asked. 

“It’s not getting better.” Rayla replied. “It was glowing so brightly before, but now...”

Now it looked like it was fighting to stay alive, the once luminous hue dulled. 

“We should get some rest. There is a town not far from here - maybe we could find some help there.” I said, and Rayla nodded. 

“Sleep sounds good.” She agreed. 

Rayla:

Callum sat down next to me, sighing and leaning the back of his head against the rocky wall. Today had been exhausting and I was looking forward to some sleep - seems like he was too. But I had to keep watch. 

My teeth chattered in the cold though. Stupid Katolin frozen weather. 

The fire in the cave didn’t quite warm me up. It was nice, but it wasn’t helping a whole lot. 

“Why does it have to be so cold.” I muttered, leaning forward a little to get closer to the fire. 

After a moment I felt something drape around my back. We didn’t have a blanket though - apart from the cloak Ez was using. 

I looked over to Callum - it was his wing stretched over me. It was warm, and soft, and I relaxed a little as my back was covered. 

“I’m sorry- I thought it might help-“ Callum stammered, pulling the wing away. 

“It does.” I said quickly. “Thank you.”

The skywing smiled at me, a small, happy smile before stretching his wing out again and curving it around my body. 

I shuffled a little closer to Callum - and he was warm. Way warmer than the fire. 

“How are you not cold?” I asked. 

“We fly around in the sky. It’s pretty cold up there - we just adapted I guess.” He looked outside to the snow falling softly at the cave entrance. “You can’t be that cold - surely.” He took my hand in both of his and his eyes widened. 

“Yeah. I’m pretty cold. Because it’s snowing.” I smirked. His hands were so warm - as if he had been holding them up to the fire. But he hadn’t been

I let him rub the feeling back into my hands. Unfortunately, the rest of me was still feeling a little frosty. 

“Come here.” Callum said, patting the spot directly next to him. When I blushed a little and didn’t move, he explained. “There’s no use being cold.” I was still just staring numbly, so he sighed. “Just put your pride aside so you can stay... not frozen.”

I rolled my eyes at the dig, but he a good point. There was no use refusing out of pride. So I shuffled closer, and his wing became like a cocoon around me. His hands wrapped around mine, and a surge of heat rose to my cheeks.

“Is this better?” He asked.

“Yes. Much better.” I tried to speak normally, and prayed that he couldn’t see my face burning.

Before long, I started to get drowsy. I would snap awake every few minutes, trying to keep watch. 

“Hey. Just sleep. A rested warrior is better than a sleep deprived one.” Callum murmured.

Huh. A warrior.

Sleep found me quickly after that. 

Callum:

I couldn’t believe it. She actually fell asleep on me. Her head was resting on my shoulder and her hands were still wrapped up in mine. 

I couldn’t imagine the fallout if she woke up like this, fingers laced, and wing around her. She would be embarrassed, angry...

I let myself sleep for a little. Just a light sleep so that I could wake up before her. So I could pretend tonight didn’t happen. 

She hadn’t been thinking straight. She was tired, exhausted even, and cold, and today had been a lot. 

She didn’t mean to fall asleep on me. 

I woke up in the morning with a small jolt as I felt the unfamiliar weight resting on my side. I blinked rapidly, clearing the sleep from my eyes. 

Rayla was still fast asleep, her breathing even as her head rested on my shoulder. Even my wing still cocooned her, my hand holding hers. 

I quickly let go of her hand and tucked my wing in close, but Rayla grumbled in her sleep so I rested it on her back again. I went to gently ease her head off my shoulder but she snapped awake. 

“Oh. U. Morning.” I stammered as she rubbed her eyes. 

I withdrew my wing and got up to check on Ez. Rayla hadn’t said anything - it seemed like she didn’t know that she fell asleep on me. Which was good.

“Ezran. Wake up.” I murmured, shaking his shoulder gently as I kneeled by the small outcrop he was laying on.

He groaned, throwing the cloak over his head. “Noooooo.”

I sighed, but he rolled back over to face me.

“Alright. I’ll wake up.” He mumbled.

Bait licked my face and I laughed. “Good morning to you too.” I said, scratching his head.

“How’s the egg?” Rayla asked from behind me

I turned and pulled the egg out of the backpack where we had left it last night, but it was dull and flickering. “Not good.” I winced - the strong pull towards the sky source had dimmed considerably. “I think that... that it’s dying.”

We trudged along the snowy path, in the direction of the smoke Rayla had spotted. I wasn’t thrilled to be going near human towns. At all. But the egg had to get help - if we let it die, then we were no better than the humans who had stolen it in the first place. 

Rayla said that there was a flaw in my logic - that we were trying to do the right thing, which made us better than the humans already

We finally stumbled upon a medium sized town with a few dozen buildings. Not many people were milling about - which was great, but I still paused when the town came into view.

“Alright! I knew I saw smoke!” Rayla cheered, grinning.

“You guys go ahead. I’m going to stay back.” I said, stepping back from the settlement.

“What?” Rayla turned to face me. “Why?”

I chuckled without humour. “Are you kidding? I have blue skin, horns, and  wings . There is no way I can go into a human-infested town.”

“You could wear the cloak?” Rayla suggested, and I shook my head.

“It might’ve worked if I could tuck my wings all the way in, but I don’t like the idea of anything touching this one.” I said, gesturing to the swollen lump on my left wing.

Rayla looked... really sad. “Alright. Just... stay around here, I guess.”

“I will.” I smiled grimly back at her, and I waved at the royals before turning around to sit behind a tree.

Waiting.

Rayla:

We headed into the town. A few times I glanced behind me, expecting to see a grinning skywing elf... but nothing.

The townsfolk kept staring at me. My hair had lost a little bit of it’s white hue from not bathing in a week, but it was still noticeable. And my stupid violet eyes. One man even muttered ‘halfling’ at me, before shutting his windows and locking his door.

Ez had grabbed my hand after that. He was such a good kid - just comforting me after some man snarled a slur at me.

“Rayla! Look!” Ezran yelled, pointing to a sign high above a door. “Do you think that is some kind of animal doctor?”

“That or a... dating service for pets?” I observed.

“Probably an animal doctor. But that’s a good idea! Let’s go inside!” Ezran chirped, ever the happy, optimistic kid.

He practically dragged me in, the door creaking as it swung open a bit.

“I’ll be right with you.” A man called. Ezran pulled me forwards again, admiring the horses as we passed them. 

A man emerged from behind one of the stallions, and peered at Bait before shaking his head sadly as the glowtoad grunted.

“Oh, I’m so sorry. There’s nothing I can do for that poor creature.” The man said solemnly.

“What?” Ezran asked, lifting Bait up to examine him.

“Oh. No, no, no. He’s fine.” I said, making a dismissive gesture towards Bait. “We have a... umm... different problem.”

One of the horses whinnied unhappily and Ez walked over to the white stallion. “Awww, what happened to you, sweetie?”

The horse neighed again, almost in response to Ezran, and he nuzzled it’s head.

“Nawww. You saw something really scary, didn’t you?” Ezran comforted them stallion, patting it’s head.

“She sure did.” The doctor said. “This one ran away up the Cursed Caldera. What ever she saw, she’s lucky it only scared her.” He kneeled and placed a water bucket in front of the horse to drink from. “Won’t make that mistake again.”

He faced us, patting the horses neck. “So what can I help you with?” He asked.

He ushered us towards a table. Ezran placed Bait in the ground, next to the horse, and we sat down as the doctor poured some tea for us.

“Tell me exactly what’s going on.” He said, handing me a steaming mug.

“Well, um, a friend of ours, has a problem.” I started, eying my tea nervously.

“Jofus!” Ezran joined in.

I glared at Ez. Really? Jofus?!

“Your friends name is ‘Jofus’?” The man asked incredulously.

“It’s a real name.” Ezran defended.

I resisted the urge to slap my head. “Mhm. Yup. Real name. Anyway, our friend-“

“Jofus-“ Ezran interrupted.

“Has an egg.” I finished, kicking Ezran’s legs under the table. “An... an... an animal egg! And he has been taking really good care of it. Keeping it warm, and safe, and... wrapped in blankets.” I said. Wow. This was going horribly. I was really bad at improvising.

“Except one time he dropped it into an icy lake for several minutes.” I said quickly.

“Erm, sorry, what was that?” The doctor asked.

“He dropped it into an icy lake.” Ezran said sternly.

“Joseph. I mean - Jofus. This was Jofus.” I said, trying not to cringe. Why did Ezran have to say such a stupid name!

But I smiled awkwardly and tries to pretend like nothing was wrong.

“Right. Of course. That... sounds bad.” The doctor said.

No kidding! That was pretty obvious!

“Yeah. We’re worried it’s hurt.” I said, keeping my voice level. “The egg is colder, and it doesn’t glow like it used to.”

“Wait - a glowing egg?” The doctor asked.

Oh no. Why, why why did I have to open my big mouth-

“Mhm. Yes. A glowing egg.” I stammered. 

The doctor sighed. “Look. I can tell you have a real problem. I want to help, but I won’t be able to unless you tell me what’s really going on.”

Me and Ez exchanged a look. Could we trust this man who was practically a stranger?

“I promise I won’t get you in trouble.” The man said, covering his heart in an oath.

“You can’t tell anyone.” Ezran said.

“I won’t, okay. But you need to trust me.” The doctor said. He was being sincere.

I sighed, then nodded at Ez. He lifted the pack onto the table and lifted the flap, uncovering the egg.

The doctor gasped at the glowing egg, stunned. “That’s a dragon egg, isn’t it?” His voice was filled was awe as he gazed at the egg. “I’ve never seen one before - only pictures in books. I’ll do what I can.” He promised, gliding him hand over the smooth surface of the shell.

He lowered his head to the egg and tapped the shell with his finger, making a noise of interest. “I do hear a heartbeat.” He announced.

“That’s good, right?” Ezran asked.

“It’s... faint, and slow.” He murmured. “I’m afraid it’s dying.”

No. It couldn’t die. This was just confirmation of what Callum had said - but it was so much worse to hear from a doctor.

“I don’t know what I can do to save it. I’m so sorry.” He said.

“No! There has to be something you can do!” Ezran cried. I just stared at the egg numbly. It couldn’t die. That would ruin everything - the war would rage on, we would’ve travelled most of the way to Xadia for nothing.

“Anything! Please!” Ezran pleaded, hugging the egg right.

The doctor left us, but I had a thought. “Wait!” I called after the man, and he turned around.

“What do you know about birds?” I blurted.

“Excuse me?” The he asked, confused.

“Rayla! What are you saying?” Ezran whispered.

“Do you treat birds?” I repeated, ignoring Ez.

The man readjusted his glasses. “Well, I do treat them every now and again. What is it?”

“I have a bird at home - Pip - and he has a bump on his wing. It’s really painful - to him - and I don’t know if it’s broken or just sore or what.” I stuttered. 

“Well, ideally, I would have to see this bird to tell. How did he injure his wing?” The man asked, furrowing his brow.

“He... fell on it! In his sleep!” I improvised. “It was a big fall, and he landed right on his wing.”

“Right...” The doctor did not believe me. “I thought that you two were going to tell me everything. So tell me the truth about ‘Pip’.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I... can’t.”

“Look.” The man gestured to the egg. “You’ve already shown me a dragon’s egg. It’s okay.”

“Do you promise to not freak out. Or tell anyone.” I said, twiddling my thumbs nervously.

The man looked anxious himself now. “I promise.”

“Do you mind if you go to him? He is in a cave, and wounded. And we can’t really bring him into town.” I asked. 

“I’m afraid that you must bring ‘Pip’ here. But why can’t you take him into town?” The man questioned. 

“New rule: no questions. I’ll try to bring him here.” I turned to Ez. “I’ll be back soon. Stay here.”

“Okay.” He agreed, holding the egg close. 

I exited the animal doctor carefully, then swiftly walked to the edge of town. Callum was only a ten minutes walk away - but how was I going to disguise him?

I finally reached the cave, still thinking about how I might hide his elven features. 

“Rayla? What are you doing here? Is the egg healed?” He asked, ears perking up as he saw me. Poor elf, he would’ve been lonely just sitting there, waiting for us. 

“I’m bringing you to a doctor. For your wing.” I said, helping him up. “It’s hurt and the doctor might be able to fix it. Also, no. The doctor couldn’t help the egg.”

Callum’s face fell, disappointed with the news. “Well, that sucks. Well have to find something else.” Then he looked up at me, frowning. “Wait, I’m all for my wing getting better, but seeing a human? Are you sure that it’s a good idea?”

“Yes. Now... put this on.” I said, handing him a cloak. “And pull the hood down.”

I stepped back, trying to see him as a human, but the hood was at a weird angle because of his horns.

“How are we going to disguise the horns?” I thought aloud.

“I don’t think that we should worry about it. It’s just my wing, it’s fine. I’ll just stay here.” He said, sitting back down. “I can’t even feel it anyway.”

“Wait, what? You can’t feel it?!” I cried, kneeling in front of him. “And that’s normal?”

“Well...” He looked sheepish. “No, it’s not normal, but-“

“No. No buts. I’m taking you to this doctor right now.” I had made up my mind. He had to get this fixed, or at least looked at.

He sighed, but let me help him up.

“We will just have to pray that no one notices the weird shape of your hood.” I thought, eyeing the dents in the fabric his horns made.

“Okay.” He muttered, reluctantly agreeing with me.

We snuck into town, trying to avoid people and large, open areas. We almost stumbled upon a large gathering, but we quickly backed away and went around the central square.

Finally we found the animal doctor again. The creaked as it swung open, the inside still dark and still. “Ez?” I called quietly. 

“Rayla! You took ages!” Ezran yell-whispered, bounding over to hug me. “Wait, why are we whispering?”

“Rayla?” The doctor said, still sitting down at the table. “Do you have ‘Pip’ with you?”

“Pip? Really?” Callum murmured in my ear, and I blushed at the feeling of his breath caressing my face.

“You be quiet.” I muttered, leading the elf over to the doctor. “Yeah. His name is Callum though.”

The doctor frowned, but when Callum stepped out of the shadows with his hood down he outright gasped.

“An elf?!” He whispered, reaching behind him. Probably for a weapon. 

“Wait!” I stopped him, standing in front of Callum. “You promised!”

The man was still pale, but he readjusted his glasses and clasped his hands on the table again. “Alright. What seems to be the - the problem.” He stuttered.

“My wing. Something’s wrong with it.” Callum said, turning around to face his back towards the doctor. “My left one.”

The man eased a little - probably reassured that Callum was a patient - and peered at the wing.

He gently felt along the bone, and I bit my lip nervously. Hopefully Callum would be better after this. Hopefully.

Callum grunted in pain when the man reached the lump. “Right there. I think that it’s broken.” He gasped, screwing his eyes shut.

The doctor frowned, examining it further. “I’m not so sure. It might just be a fracture, or a bruised bone.” He assessed. “How did you hurt it?”

“Well, I landed on it. Very hard.”

“Hmmmm. I’ll have to see - this will hurt. A lot.” The doctor turned to me. “Could you go get something for the the el- Callum to bite down on?”

I found a stick on the ground and handed it to Callum. He bit down on it, bracing himself.

The doctor was not gentle when we prodded the wing, prodding and poking the swollen lump. Callum stayed quiet though - I thought he had passed out. I took his hand and, to my surprise, he squeezed back.

“It’s not broken. Just bruised.” The doctor assured us, stepping away from Callum. “I have a salve that will help the pain, but there isn’t much else I can do.”

He was giving us medicine? Even though it was for an elf?

“Thank you sir.” I said, taking the bottle gratefully.

“It will heal on its own in a month or two.” The doctor informed us. “But you might be able to fly sooner, as long as you take care of it.”

“Thank you.” Callum said, smiling genuinely. “I am in your debt.”

The doctor winced a little before his face returned to normal. “No need. Good luck on your journey.”

We left the building, the cloak wrapped around Callum again. It looked a little strange, his wings making him look like a hunchback beneath the fabric. But we would be gone soon.

“Wait!” He called, walking up to us. “I’m hesitant to tell you this, because it might be incredibly dangerous. There was a miracle that happened a few a years ago, but it happened... on the Cursed Caldera. There is someone you should meet.”

He took us to a girl who went up there a few years ago. She was about Ezran’s age, and had a large wolf beside her at all times. She told us about how she went up the Cursed Caldera and a miracle healer gave her wolf, Ava, her leg back.

“We have to find this miracle healer.” I announced, standing up from my chair. Ava barked happily at me, happy with my plan. “If she can save a cubs missing paw...”

“Maybe she can save a dragon egg!” Ezran finished, holding the pack up.

“Wait, a  _what_ ?” Ellis asked, snapping her head around to face us.

“Ummm, he said... maybe she can shave a wagon leg!” I said, ignoring Callum’s amused snort.

_Boy_ I was getting sick of fixing mistakes that were caused by our big mouths. But boy did I miss Callum’s snarky remarks. 

“But why would she-“ Ellis started, but Ezran cut her off.

“Sorry, got to go!” He shouted, leaving the cabin quickly with me in tow.

“Thank you!” I called back, leaving the cabin quickly.

“That’s them!” I heard someone scream.

“There’s the elf!” Someone else shouted as I whirled around. 

There was a chorus of yelling and shouting coming from a crowd, all of them holding weapons of some sort.

“We’ve got to go!” I grabbed Callum and Ezran’s arms, dragging them away and up the mountain.

“I knew I saw him!” A man shouted, wielding a red-hot dagger. “The elf with wings!”

Callum’s eyes widened when he saw the blade but he kept running alongside us.

Luckily none of the townsfolk followed us as we ran out of the village, and up the mountain that loomed above us.

Towards the Cursed Caldera. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I deeply apologise for the lack of Human-Callum, but I promise he will appear later.
> 
> Also one of the first scenes I had stuck in my head was Rayla blurting out to the doctor if he could help Callum’s wing I mean it was tooooo cuuuteeee akjsksoksjkdksnskd


	8. The Cursed Caldera

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, it’s been a busy week. And this particular episode is one of my least favourites to watch and write - to write because there is so much dialogue and almost no room for original scenes or change. But here we go - 80 hours late (sorry)

Rayla:

“I think we’re safe.” Callum muttered, catching his breath as he collapsed behind the tree next to me.

“Safe? Sure.” I said sarcastically.

“So how are we supposed to find this miracle healer?” Callum asked, lolling his head over to look at me.

Suddenly a pair of eerie green eyes stared glowing from the hill above us, and Callum jumped up, prepared to fight. 

Until the figure emerged and it was just the giant wolf, Ava, with Ellis on her back.

“Come with me.” She said. “I’ll help you find her.”

We all got up to follow her, and she led the wolf around to the path ahead. “This way!” She shouted, and Ava barked as she bounded away.

While we walked up, Callum attempted to make conversation with Ellis.

“So... hello.” He said. “How do we find this healer?”

“Truth is, I didn’t find her. She found us.” She looked up to the peak. “We were hiding in a big, twisty hollow tree. Up near the rim.”

“Then we need to get to that tree. Even if it takes all night.” Callum said firmly.

“Wait... that’s all we have to go on?” I interrupted. “A weird tree where this miracle healer showed up three years ago?”

“It’s our only chance. Got a better idea?” Callum replied.

He had an annoyingly good point. 

“As a matter of fact...” I said, hoping something would come to me. Nothing did. “I do not.” I finished, pouting.

Callum smirked at me, knowing that he had won.

“I’ll get us to that tree.” Ellis told us. “The healer will find us there, and she’ll save the egg!”

The way was long and treacherous. We jumped across canyons, climbed over fallen trees and walked on a path that was barely a metre wide - one misstep and we would go tumbling over the edge of a sheer cliff.

We hiked up steep slopes and even when night began to fall, the summit was still so far away.

I caught up with Callum, thinking of something that would really cheer him up.

“You know, maybe this miracle healer could fix your wing.” I said, nudging Callum’s side.

His eyes lit up at that. “I didn’t think of that.” He murmured, looking wistfully up at the sky around us.

“What’s flying like?” I asked out of curiosity. 

“It’s... amazing. Like you’re floating in midair, able to touch the clouds.” Callum was speaking with such reverence... I smiled at him.

“What do clouds feel like?”

“Like cold steam. It clings to you, making you damp. Not at all fluffy.” He chuckled. “I once flew all the way up when I was young, just to touch them.”

I couldn’t even imagine it - being able to touch clouds. To just want to soar into the sky, and have the ability to do so whenever I desired. “That sounds pretty amazing.”

Callum knee I was talking about flying. “It is. Or was, at least.” He grimaced, remembering the bruised bone.

“Hey.” I lightly punched his shoulder. “It will be again. You’ll be able to fly, soon.”

He smiled at me warmly, a silent thanks. 

We neared yet another cliff just as the sun was beginning to fall below the horizon, and Ava bounded over to the edge at Ellis’s wish.

“It’s so beautiful.” She sighed, staring at the sunset. “It’s like the sky is painted with honey.”

I guess you could think of it in that way.

“Wow.” Ezran murmured, taking in the view.

Ellis chuckled. “Too bad it also means the nightmare’s about to begin.”

_ Excuse _ me? “What do you mean?” I stammered. What nightmare?

“Oh you know, the enormous monsters, indescribable terrors. Stuff like that.”

“Stuff like that.” Callum said simply, sounding shocked at Ellis’ tone - like ‘indescribable terrors’ were normal.

“Yeah.” She agreed, nodding. “And the higher we go, the worse it’ll get.”

I blinked, then decided to accept it. “All right! Well, let’s go!” I said cheerily.

“No, no, no, wait. We’re going to need a plan.” Callum said, stopping me. 

“How do you plan for indescribable terrors?” Ezran asked. “I feel like you need to be able to describe them first.”

“Ummm... horrifying. Blood-curdling. Creepy, but in a super extreme way that feels like it’s lighting your soul on fire.” Ellis helpfully commented.

“I... think that helps.” Ezran replied.

I had no words.

“Wait! Wait, wait, wait! I’ve got it!” Callum’s face lit up. “Flash, woof, zap, slish-slash!”

Everyone was silent for a second, but then Ellis yelled; “Awesome!” With a thumbs up to Callum.

“Um, is he okay?” She whispered to me.

“I think he’s finally cracked under the pressure.” I responded gleefully. Callum was insane - that was either funny or terrifying.

“No, that’s the plan!” He defended himself. “Ezran, you have the first job. You hold Bait in the air so he can flash and blind whatever monster it is.”

“Wait... but then I’m not really doing anything. I’m just kinda holding up Bait.” Ezran complained.

“You’re support. Every team needs a great support.” Callum added, before stepping back to continue.

“Ellis, you’re next. Ava will bark, and you’ll ride around in circles to confuse the monster.” He said triumphantly.

Ava barked happily, but Ellis was looking doubtful. “I don’t know... do you think you can run around and bark a lot, Ava?”

Ava woofed confidently in response. “She’s ready!” Ellis confirmed.

“Then me! I can cast  fulminus to electrocute the monster! Zap!” He yelled. 

Ellis gasped. “You can do spells?!” She asked excitedly.

“Well, yeah. I’m a mage.”  


“That is so cool!” Ellis chirped excitedly. 

Callum smiled. “Rayla! You’re last! The finisher!” He looked determined. “You’ll take down the blinded, distracted, half cooked monster with your sword!”

I grinned, unsheathing my blade. “I can do that.” I agreed.

We trudged through a dark, misty swamp with dead trees and slightly green puddles lining the path. 

“Well, it’s dark, but I think the scariest thing I’ve seen so far is an angry cricket.” Callum said, kneeling down to peer at the insect. “And he’s like, mildly annoyed.”

“Yeah.” Ez agreed. “Are you sure this is the Cursed Caldera?” He asked. “Or did we accidentally wander up ‘Humdrum Hill’?”

We all laughed a little at that.

“Maybe we took a wrong turn and wound up on ‘Sleepy Slope’?” I chuckled.

“I’ll have to check my map, but I’m fairly certain I recognise the unmistakable topography of ‘Mount Monotonous’!” Callum tried to joke. 

We were all silent - except for the cricket, which started chirping - Callum glared at it.

“Anyway, it is a little odd that nothing has happened yet.” Ellis said. Before pointing behind Callum, into the fog, and screaming; “I see a huge scary monster!”

Callum yelped and jumped away from where she was pointing.

“But don’t worry.” She added in an even tone. “It’s dead.”

“Then why did you say it like that?” Callum asked, still looking a little terrified.

“Say it like what?” She yelled, her voice echoing off the hollow trees. 

Callum tolled his eyes and regained his composure.

We approached the massive shape - it was enormous. Just like Ellis had said. It would’ve been terrifying... but it was dead. Just a limp body on the ground.

“I’ve never seen anything like this.” Ezran murmured. “And look at those circles-“

“Don’t touch it.” I blurted before he could reach out.

“What a strange birthmark.” Ezran observed.

“I don’t think that’s a birthmark.” I said grimly. “It’s a bite mark.”

“You’re right.” Callum said, examining the wound. “Something’s drained all its blood.”

“Guys?” Ellis called, whirling around to look behind us.

There was a low growling from behind the fallen beast, and then a giant worm rose up.

“I see a huger, scarier monster!” She yelled, pointing at the giant worm - no,  leech I though as I saw its teeth.

It roared at us, and we scattered. “The plan! Time for the plan!” Callum shouted. “Ezran?”

“Okay- okay!” He yelled back, before realising that the glowtoad was not in his arms. “Where’s Bait?!”

Bait was over by the cricket. Hence why I didn’t like Bait - he always ruined things. 

“Bait come on you’re supposed to-“ Ezran’s called, and Bait took the hint. Glowing brightly. Blinding not only the monster, but also us.

“Argh!” Callum yelled. “Too soon! Too soon!”

“I can’t see!” I shouted - my vision was white, and I could only hear the others shouting and the monster slithering around.

“None of us can!” Ellis replied loudly.

Ava started barking and running around, despite being half blind. Luckily the my eyes weren’t burning anymore and I could at least make out silhouettes.

The monster slammed into the ground again, chasing after the wolf.

I heard Ezran yelp, then a surprised grunt from Bait, then Callum yelling. “Okay, what about the rest of the plan? I probably shouldn’t do lightning if I can’t see!”

“Don’t do the lightning!” I cried, stumbling over to where I heard his voice. Lightning would be one of the worst things to do right now.

“Maybe a new plan?” Ezran called. 

“Scatter! Run!” Callum shouted to us.

“Is that to distract the monster?” Ez asked.

“No, it’s just to get away and live!”

Someone grabbed my arm as I went to sprint after Ezran and Ellis - Callum. “Come with me!” He yelled, dragging me over to a giant tree.

The giant leech went after Ezran and Ellis, but they scrambled up a tall rock that jutted out of the swamp. But once it realised that it couldn’t get them, it slithered to us at breakneck speed.

“You can climb trees?” He asked, and I nodded. He boosted my feet up , scaling the hollow pine after me. I slumped against the trunk from on top of a thick branch.

The leech screeched at us, circling the base of the tree before going over to the rock Ezran and Ellis were on.

“What do we do now?” I asked Callum. “I think that thing is waiting for us down there.”

“We don’t even have that much blood!” Ezran complained loudly.

“I know!” I replied, before yelling at the creature. “We would be a very unsatisfying snack!”

It just snarled loudly at me, before continuing its circles around the tree.

“We don’t have a choice. We just have to wait it out.” Callum said, slumping down on the branch. “I’m sorry my plan was a mess.”

“Nah, your plan was fine. Our execution was a little off!” I reassured him. “It came out more like ‘Argh! Oops! Help! Run!’” I teased.

He pouted at me, but I could there was a small smile in his eyes.

“Besides, I would’ve screwed it up anyway.” I muttered, sitting next to him.

“What do you mean?” He looked at me. “You are... pretty amazing. At everything.”

I smiled a little. “That’s true, I am pretty amazing at everything.” But then my grin faded. “Until the moment where it matters.”

Callum still looked confused, so I elaborated. “Just a few weeks ago I had to go to a big meeting. All the nobles were going to be there, and I had one job - make small talk and don’t get snarky like I always do.

“It was going to be really important - a trade deal between this rich merchant and Katolis. And he came over to me, asked if I was related to an elf... I snapped at him. He left immediately, and there are rumours that he went to Del Bar instead. I messed everything up.”

Callum placed a hand on my shoulder. “Everyone makes mistakes. And in my opinion, he deserved to get snapped at. Katolis is probably better off without him.”

I smiled halfheartedly. “Thanks.”

“Guys!” Ellis called. “I think that the thing might be gone!”

Ezran and Ellis met us at the base as Callum helped me down the last few metres of the tree.

“Haven’t seen it or heard it in a while. Seems like it moved on.” I said.

“See ya, sucker!” Ezran yelled. “Get it? Because it’s a giant leech?”

“So, more of a description than an insult?” Callum asked.

“A little of both.” Ezran replied. 

Callum nodded approvingly.

“It’s probably gone, but let’s not taunt it, okay?” I said, putting my hand on Ez’s shoulder. “There’s a little thing called ‘irony’, where just as you say one thing like you’re really sure about it, that’s when the opposite happens.”

“Nah.” Callum dismissed my point. “Maybe that’s how things work in stories, but in the real world-“

There was a blood-curdling roar from right behind us, and we screamed and scattered.

The leech chased after Ava and Ellis, who dodged it. The monster then went after me and Ez but I jumped up a tree and it targeted the young prince next.

Ellis hauled Ezran up onto Ava’s back, and Callum yelled. “Focus! We can do this! The plan! Ez and Bait, you’re up!”

We all shielded our eyes as Bait started glowing brightly, and the monster shrieked in pain.

“Yes! Ellis and Ava! Woof!” Callum shouted happily.

Ava started doing circles around the stunned leech, barking loudly. The monster just spun around aimlessly, trying to find them but failing miserably. 

“Perfect!” Callum encouraged them. “My turn... zap!”

He quickly drew the rune and lightning exploded groom his fingers, effectively frying the giant leech.

He cheered loudly as we watched in amazement. Electricity was arching off the monster as it cried out, almost glowing.

“Rayla! The finishing move! Slash!”

The leech roared and it’s head whipped towards me as I drew my sword. It dove at me and I stumbled backwards. I could hear the panicked cries of the others, but I had this. I could do it.

I swung my sword up, slicing a deep gash in the neck just below it’s head. It crumpled to the ground, dead.

Everyone cheered happily, surrounding me, but I was terrified. “That was too close.” I panted. “If that thing was a split-second faster, I would’ve been...”

I trailed off as I felt something slimy touch my leg.

“Oh no - help! Help me!” I cried, stumbling as baby leeches crawled all over me.

“ Aspiro !” Callum yelled, blowing the leeches away.

“Ha! How about that!” Callum said, helping me up. “We got it! The plan worked!”

We kept walking along the path, and suddenly Ellis shouted. “Look! Up there - that’s the tree!”

Sure enough, there was a solitary tree standing near the summit. Which was still really far away.

“Yes, we’re almost there. We can do this, team!” Callum grinned, trying to boost our low morale. “We’re going to find the healer and save the egg.”

Ava whimpered, whining a little. Ezran places his hand on her fluffy neck, frowning.

“Oh no.” Ezran murmured.

“What is it?” Callum asked.

“I have really bad news. I don’t know how to tell you.” Ezran stepped away from the wolf, facing us.

“Just say it.” I urged him. What bad news? What else could _possibly_ be going wrong?

“Even if we make it to the rim, it doesn’t matter.” Ezran said.

“There is no miracle healer.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, my heart wasn’t in this one. But it’ll get better with the next chapters.


	9. Wonderstorm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m baaaaaaaaack!!
> 
> And I’m really sorry for not updating in ages. It’s been an insane few weeks with quarantine lifting and a hard adjustment to normal-ish life. I’ve also just finished binging Brooklyn 99, The Office (uk and us) and She-Ra plus I’ve re-read my favourite Percy Jackson books so now my head is a swirling tempest of ‘ahhhhhhh Jake and Amy’s proposal scene is too pureeeeeee think of all the flufffffff there is to write - Pam and Jim are the best but Dawn and Tim will forever hold a special place in my heart but sassy Pam is too hard to resist writing - CATADORA IS CANONNNNNNN AAAAAAAAA I CAN’T HANDLE ITTTTT MUST WRITE CATADORA - why aren’t there more percabeth moments in the books I seriously have to write some self indulgent percabeth for my lonely ass’
> 
> It’s been one hell of a few weeks and now I have 5 different stories completely dominating my waking thoughts which is both good and bad. Good, because I’m branching out with other fandoms and get to write loads of awesome characters. Bad because that mayyyy be hard to keep up with but I’m going to try make it work. 
> 
> Also I had no idea wether quarantine ending would give me more time to write or less but it looks like it’s gonna be less which I’m really unhappy about :/ but I am really dedicated to finish all the series’ I have going, and then probably do a whole bunch of oneshots for the five shows/books that I can’t stop thinking about. 
> 
> But, welcome to the season finale, and - as always - enjoy :)  
>  \- BlueFireSoul

Callum:

“There is no miracle healer. I’m sorry.” Ezran took his backpack off, setting it at his feet.

“Stop being all weird and mysterious - if you’re going to make a claim like that, you owe everyone an explanation.” Rayla demanded.

“Okay.” Ezran sighed. “Ava told me-“

“He we go!” Rayla sounded exasperated, pinching the bridge of her nose.

“No! It’s true!” Ezran stammered. “I can understand animals!”

Whoa. That was... new. Ez? Can listen to animals? I understood Rayla’s frustration - that was a pretty absurd claim. It sounded like a child playing pretend.

“Did you ask Bait?” Rayla mocked. “He might disagree!”

Bait grunted, looking grumpy as ever.

“Or maybe we can find a squirrel around here with an opinion!” She continued.

“I knew you wouldn’t listen to me!” Ezran yelled, hugging the pack. He hadn’t been lying before. He could understand animals - or at least he thought he could. 

I stepped forward, kneeling in front of the young prince. “Ezran, I’m listening to you. But it is pretty hard to believe.”

He looked up at me, and I gave him a reassuring smile.  _Show_ _us_. _Explain_ _it_. I hoped he understood what I was silently saying.

“I’ve always been different. It’s hard for me to make friends with other kids. I just feel like I don’t fit in.” He began.

“That’s okay.” I grinned. “Fitting in is boring anyway.”

He smiled back. “But with animals... somehow I have this connection. And a few years ago, I realised I could understand what they were saying.”

Rayla sighed. “Ez, I listened to you once. You told me that this group of raccoons said there was treasure behind the waterfall!”

Ezran cringed.

“But when I went to check, was there treasure?” She asked.

“No.” He mumbled.

“But did I get soaked?” She was getting angrier now.

“Yes - but the raccoons were being mischievous! I have since learned that you cannot trust raccoons!” Ezran told us.

“See, this is why you can’t make friends!” Rayla yelled. 

“Rayla! Back off.” I almost growled, standing up in front of Ez.

“Callum, do you believe me?” Ezran pleaded.

I sighed, my expression softening. “Does it matter?” I asked.

Ezran looked... really sad.

“I believe you, Ez!” Ellis said. “But... I also know the miracle healer is real. Because I have my Ava!” She wrapped her arms around the wolf’s fuzz neck.

“We’re moving on. We need to get to the rim.” Rayla ordered, marching forwards. 

There was something... weird in the air. It become thicker and thicker the higher we went, making me uneasy and Ava a little skittish.

The tense silence was broken when an eerie moan floated towards us.

“Did anyone else hear that?” Ellis squeaked. My uninjured wing spread out, defending the prince and the wolf.

“Yup. Ignoring it. Keep moving.” Rayla marched past the little girl, eyes firmly locked on the mountain ahead.

Another airy groan, louder this time.

“Maybe we should find out what it is?” Ezran asked, crouched next to Ava as Ellis hugged the wolf tightly.

“I’m going to share an old proverb with you.” Rayla said. “When travelling up a mountain trying to save a dying dragon egg and you hear a spooky sound, just keep walking.”

“That’s really specific.” I noted.

Again, the moan sounded - but this time it sounded like it was all around us. Bait croaked and jumped into Ezran’s arms. Which was really bad - Bait was never scared.

“What if someone needs help?” Ezran piped up, gazing off into the distance behind us.

That made Rayla pause.

She walked over and placed her hand on Ezran’s shoulder. “Ez, you have a good heart.” She smiled, and his eyes shined happily. “It’s super annoying.” She muttered, smile gone, before getting up to go to the rocks that the sound appeared to be coming from.

“Fine. But we shouldn’t all go up there. I’ll check it out, and the rest of you  stay here and keep the egg safe.”

We watched her climb up the rocks and over to the creepy sounds.

When we heard another sound, it was Rayla coming back with her hands around her arms, almost like she was keeping herself together.

“Did you find anyone?” Ez asked. 

“No. There was no one there. We have to keep moving.” She said, sounding... off.

I got off the ground and caught up to her. “Are you okay?” I asked. “You saw something.”

She exhaled, then faced me. “It was barely alive. Crumbled to dust right before my eyes.” She looked traumatised by the experience, her eyes hollow. “It was _horrible_ , Callum.”

With that lovely note, she kept walking forwards.  
  


We were going along the path, and I didn’t notice Ezran stop to look between some trees. Next thing I knew, I heard someone cry out and I jolted, running back to the young prince. 

“Ez, what’s wrong?” I called. 

“I... I saw something. A-a face in the dark!” He shouted back, pointing into the trees with his eyes squeezed shut. 

We walked over, Rayla brandishing her sword at the darkness as I braced myself - but nothing. 

“Something’s watching us.” Ellis said. “If you guys wanna turn back-“

“No! There’s no turning back - we have to keep going.” I said firmly. “No matter what. The egg doesn’t have much time.”

We arrived at a dead end - thick branches blocked our path. But Rayla slashed through them like they were butter, leading us to what looked like a giant web. 

She paused, studying the webs. Then, making up her mind, she raised her sword to slice through them. 

“Wait!” I stopped her. I didn’t know why, but the idea of fighting through these webs made me uneasy. “It’s probably better if we just go around it.”

Rayla glanced at Ava, who was sniffing around and whining. 

“I don’t think there _is_ an around.” Rayla said. “We need to punch through.”

“Alright... let’s find out what made this.” I said nervously as Rayla raised her blade. 

She sliced through the webs, clearing our path. The trees ahead were also covered in cobwebs, which was not a great sight. 

“Be careful.” Rayla called. I reached out to touch one of the silky strands, and she grabbed my wrist. “Do not touch the webs!”

I vaguely heard Ezran complaining, but the sound of skittering was the only thing I was concentrating on. 

The sound was all around us, behind us, above us... constant tapping and crawling that was driving me insane. 

Suddenly the sound stopped. And then it got louder, and louder - from right behind us. 

I whipped around just as a giant spider screeched at us - the thing was so large that it wouldn’t have fit in the castle hallway!

Ezran and Ellis screamed and Rayla looked too shocked to do anything, so it was up to me. 

“Fulminus!” I yelled, casting the spell at the arachnid. A blinding light, then - 

It exploded, leaving bits of cobwebs floating around us. 

“Did you get it? Where did it go?” Rayla cried. “I feel like it’s in my hair!” She flicked her hair around, searching it with her fingers. 

I smirked at her. “Really? It’s a two tonne magical spider. I think that you’d know if it was in your hair.”

She glared at me, and I snickered. “Didn’t pick you for one to be scared of spiders.”

“Shut up or else I feed you to it.” She growled.

“Shhhhhhhh! You need to listen!” Ellis whispered, looking around.

She was a smart girl. I tilted my head, trying to not laugh while pinpointing location of the spider from the sounds of it scuttling around.

It went silent, and I tensed up. Where was the damn spider?!

There was a thud, and the ground shook as the spider roared at us.

We sprinted away, ducking behind trees.

I was panting for breath as I spoke. “How are we going to get past that thing?”

“Even if we do manage to get past it, one misstep and we could get caught in one of those webs.” Rayla added. “And trust me. You do  not want to know what happens when you get caught in a web.”

“There has to be a way.” I said, peering over the massive roots of the tree at the spider. “We have to get through!”

It screeched at us again, and Ezran’s face went from terrified to confused. “Wait a second...” he muttered.

It kept chittering angrily at us and Ezran furrowed his brow. “Something’s not right. In a good way this time!”

“What should we do?” Ellis shouted. “We could turn back and try to find another way up the caldera?”

“No! It’s gonna be okay!” Ezran laughed, getting up. “We can just walk right past it!”

“What are you talking about?” Rayla asked, incredulous.

“It’s not real! I’m sure of it!” Ezran chirped.

“That doesn’t make any sense.” I said, worried for Ezran’s mental health.

“Exactly! All those chitters, and screams - that’s not how spiders talk.” Ez explained.

“Ezran. You’ve lost your mind.” Rayla muttered.

He hesitated, then walked off. “I’m going out there to prove it.”

“No! Don’t!” Rayla yelled, grabbing his pack.

He shrugged her off and started running down the path towards the spider. 

“Ezran, no!” She chased after him, leaving me no choice but to follow.

The spider dropped out of nowhere, landing not two inches away from his face and it roared at him.

Then Ezran screamed back.

Rayla caught up to Ezran, and just stood there confused as he yelled at the monster between giggles.

“It’s fun!” He laughed. “Try screaming at him.”

Rayla tentatively reached out to touch the spider, but it roared loudly at her before she made contact.

“See? It won’t do anything!” Ezran shouted gleefully.

Rayla studied the dormant spider, then smiled. “Ez is right!” She shouted at Ellis, who had stayed behind us.

“Let’s see if we can get it to turn around and show us it’s creepy-glow face!” He said, stepping even closer to it. He laughed and made silly faces at the arachnid, watching the reflections of himself in it’s eight eyes. 

“Ezran, I owe you an apology.” Rayla mumbled.

Well, this was rare. Rayla apologising.

“Well, at least one.” Ezran replied. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t believe you. And I promise I won’t doubt you ever again.” Rayla held her hand over her heart in an oath.

“Thank you, Rayla.” Ezran smiled.

“This is it! We hid in that tree when the miracle healer found us!” Ellis exclaimed, pointing towards the twisting shape in front of us.

We ducked into the small hollow, my eyes adjusting to the darkness inside.

“Remember this place, girl?” Ellis asked Ava, who barked her agreement.

“So... now what?” Rayla asked. “Do we just... miracle healer! Hello? We’re here!”

“I don’t know.” Ellis told us. “I just showed up... and then she showed up.”

“Yeah, I don’t see why that shouldn’t work.” I said sarcastically.

There was a blinding light from outside, and we left the tree to investigate.

Rayla:

“Actually, I think it is working!” I said, more hopeful than ever.

We heard a bird cry, and a massive shape glided down to meet us. I shielded my eyes from the light, until a figure got off the bird and the glow dissipated.

But Callum took one look at the kind looking lady next to the impressive, glowing bird and his happy expression crumbled.

“Oh _no_.” He sighed, stepping towards the newcomer. “Ez was right about everything. There is no miracle healer. She’s a fake.”

“What?” She was right there! How was there no healer?

Unless she wasn’t actually a healer...

“She’s a moon mage - an illusionist. She can’t heal anything.” His wings drooped a little with sadness.

“It’s true.” She said. “I’m no healer. Lujanne, Guardian of the Moon Nexus.” She bowed politely.

“I’m such an idiot - I should’ve figured it out.” Callum mumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose. “None of those monsters were real. They were all illusions.”

“Yes. They were meant to scare you - that’s how I protect the nexus.” Lujanne affirmed.

“But I don’t understand! If you’re not a healer... how did you save Ava’s leg?” Ellis asked.

The moon mage approached the wolf, cupping her head. “I remember you and that little cub. So frightened, and sad. I saw her leg, and I understood that humans would have trouble accepting her.

“But I saw her spirit was strong, and that was all that really mattered. So to help you, I created an illusion - a leg that others could see and feel, even though it wasn’t really there.

“I enchanted the moonstone collar to keep the spell. She never ended a fourth leg to be happy!” The mage nuzzled Ava’s head, and the wolf whined happily. “Everyone else did.”

She removed the collar and Ava’s front leg disappeared into a golden mist, like it was never there. In its place, a stump that was barely there.

“But the help we need is real.” Ezran said, stepping forward and removing his pack. “An illusion won’t help us.”

He undid the clasp and showed Lujanne the egg. She gasped as he set it down, and Callum knelt down next to it, running a hand gently over the shell.

“It’s the egg of the Dragon Prince. It was stolen, but we saved it. And then a terrible accident happened - and now... it’s dying.” He said, watching the glow from deep within the egg fade and pulse weakly.

“It’s life force is fading quickly.” Lujanne observed. “The only chance of saving it now would to... to hatch it.”

I looked down at the egg hopefully, but she sighed.

“But that won’t be possible. Sky dragons can only hatch in the eye of a storm... the weather is clear for miles.” She said mournfully.

“No- that can’t be! There has to be a way to save it!” Ezran demanded, but Lujanne shook her head.

“I’m sorry.” She whispered.

“I dropped it. This is all my fault.” I mumbled, tears falling down my face.

“No, it’s not your fault! If anything, it’s mine!” Callum rushed to reassure me, but I turned my head away.

“It slipped out of my hands. Even then, I should’ve just trusted you before. We wouldn’t be in this mess if it weren’t for me.” I muttered.

Ezran hugged me, and I fell onto my knees.

I failed. Again. This time, people would  die because of me. A war would rage between elves and humans. Because I couldn’t trust an elf. The irony made a short, bitter laugh escape me.

I heard Callum murmur something, then he went to stand next to the egg.

“Callum, what are you-“

He started to draw a rune, a complex one. I lost track of the strokes of his fingers as thunderclouds rolled in.

I couldn’t hear him yell over the lightning striking the ground around us, but it was some sort of spell.

A storm spell.

He closed his eyes as the rune disappeared, and when he opened them again they were glowing a bright blue. He levitated a few inches off the ground - his feet weren’t touching the dirt anymore. But his wings were still, though stretched out as far as they could go.

I could only watch as the lightning crackled and flashed, striking the egg and forcing it to glow again. Wind howled around us in a giant cylinder, but we were in the eye of the storm.

The crackling light surrounding the egg started to fracture into every different colour of the rainbow, the egg glowing so brightly that I had to shield my eyes from it.

I tore my gaze away from the egg, and saw Callum. His chest was heaving, his face was pale and his eyes had small cracks around them.

The spell was killing him.

“Callum!” I screamed over the thunder rolling off the egg, cracks appeared on the shell, it was so, so bright-

It all stopped. Callum collapsed to the ground with a thud, and I rushed over to him.

“Callum! Please, be okay...” I knelt next to him and held his head, praying for him to be alive-

He coughed and groaned. “The egg-“

I glanced over at it.

It wasn’t glowing at all, the shell darker than I had ever seen it.

The Dragon Prince was dead.

“No.” I whispered.

There was a small cracking sound, and a piece of the shell popped off.

Like a lunatic, my first thought was that it was falling apart and the dragon inside was well and truly gone. Then, I regained common sense and sobbed in relief as a tiny blue head poked out of the egg.

It rolled out, the egg falling to pieces as it tumbled onto the ground.

Callum sat up, looking marginally better, and grinned. “The Dragon Prince lives!”

I choked a laugh, and flung my arms around his neck. “You promised to never do that again.”

One of his hands settled on my back, and I could feel his smile. “I know. I’m sorry. But it all worked out in the end.”

I was about to object, but I was distracted by Ezran speaking gleefully to the dragon - introducing us by the looks of it. “And that’s Callum and Rayla!”

The dragonling waddled over to us on unsteady legs, and bumped his nose affectionately against my leg.

I picked the tiny thing up - he was about the size of a small dog - and hugged him tightly to my chest.

“Are you actually hugging it like a puppy?” Callum teased.

“Shush, you.” I muttered. The dragon happily purred in my arms, and I laughed with relief.

I put the tiny dragon down next to where Callum was lying on his side, propping his face up on his elbow next to my lap. 

“His name is Azymondias! Or Zym, for short!” Ezran smiled.

The dragon - Zym - chirped and warbled at Callum, and bumped his forehead against the elf’s own. Callum petted him, smiling and laughing, and that moment made this whole journey worth it.

Suddenly something exploded above us, and purple orbs floated down.

“It’s beautiful.” I murmured, reaching out to touch one.

I didn’t see Lujanne’s troubled expression, or the purple trail from the caldera to a mountain in the distance, or the way she glanced at said mountain sadly.

For now, I only focused on the Prince of Dragons playing with Callum, Ezran and Ellis giggling as the elf booped Zym’s nose with his finger, and Ava and Bait watching with affection.

* * *

BONUS:

This was the jerkface dance scene that me and my beta reader decided to not include, due to it being a little OOC for Rayla to do it. But, I though that you guys might still appreciate it :)

“If you really mean it...” Ezran smiled.

“I do.”

“Then you have to do the thing!” Ezran demanded.

“Oh- really? Right here?” Rayla asked, looking embarrassed.

Ezran gave her his biggest puppy-dog eyes and she shook her head. But she steeled her jaw - even though I had only known her for a few weeks, I knew that face. It was pure determination.

She took a deep breath in, and then started doing one of the most ridiculous dances I had ever seen. I couldn’t help but burst out laughing at her face and chicken wings and  _ what was she doing with her feet?! _

But she didn’t even glance my way as I clapped and cheered her on with Ez.

“What is this?” I whispered to Ez. 

“The Jerkface Dance!” He yelled, grinning ear to ear.

She finally finished the dance, scowling at me as I laughed. But my massive smile was infectious and the corners of her mouth tugged upwards.

“Shall we keep moving?” I asked, the spider stepping aside for us. “I mean, I would ask for a repeat performance but we need to get going.”

Rayla stuck her tongue out at me, and punched my shoulder lightly. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Season 1 is over!! Huge milestone, and I want to say thank you to everyone who had kudo-ed, commented, bookmarked, or even just read this story. It has been a fun journey that I have enjoyed thoroughly, and I am so excited to do season 2!!!


	10. A Secret and a Spark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Up next for Season 2: the Moon Nexus, betrayal, Human-Callum!!!, and enough pining for a whole forest XD

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg it’s been ageeessss  
> Good news though - I finished all of season 2! It took me so long, partially because season two isn’t my favourite (I only truly enjoy a handful of scenes) and mostly because work decided that quarantine wasn’t hard enough, and that everyone enjoys being overwhelmed and stressed 24/7
> 
> So updates will be consistent until s2 ends, and even then when I threw a tantrum at s2 I write a lot of s3 (*cough* *cough* rayllummmmmm) so it might be all the way until we finish!

I was sitting on a fallen pillar, watching the trees rustle in the wind. Just thinking about the past week. 

I had escaped from the castle, from assassins coming to end the lives of my father and brother. I met an elf who helped us run away with the egg of, quite possibly, the most powerful creature in the continent. From there we had trekked across the land and hiked up a cursed mountain. Where said egg had hatched, revealing a tiny dragon, and now we were camping out at the centre for moon magic with another elf. 

I chuckled softly to myself. This had been the most insane week of my life by far. 

“Hey.” I heard, and a familiar elf sat down next to me. “You okay? You seem a little... distant.”

“Oh, sorry. I’m fine - just thinking about the past week.” I replied. 

Callum snorted. “It’s really only been a week?”

I laughed, and turned to fully face him. “You seem... better.” I smiled at him - he was stretching and fluttering his wings happily. 

“Yeah! Lujanne has medicines and herbs for magic depletion - but she said that if I had held the storm for much longer, I would’ve been in a coma.” Despite the morbid image, he was still grinning. 

“Oh...”

“And she had ointments for wings too! You know, for Phoe-Phoe. And she let me use some, so my wing is almost fixed!” He demonstrated, extending his large wings and beating them, kicking up a few stray leaves from the ground. 

“That’s really good.” I couldn’t help but be happy for him - he hadn’t really gotten a chance to actually fly around this journey. And if skywing elves were anything like Pip - the bird got really antsy and moody when he didn’t get to have his morning flight - it must’ve been horrible for Callum.

“Wait, did you say her phoenix was called ‘Phoe-Phoe’?” I asked incredulously. 

“Yep.” He replied grimly. “Short for ‘Phoenix-Phoenix’.”

“Why would she call...” I trailed off, pinching the bridge of my nose before deciding to change the subject. “So, when can you fly again?”

“A day or two, Lujanne says.” He looked up at the sky again - it was slightly cloudy, and his eyes were a little greyer than usual. Not like he was sad though, it was more of a storm-is-brewing kind of darkness. 

“Come and get it everyone!” Lujanne yelled, and we turned to see a table piled with a feast worthy of the Katolin Castle. 

It made my mouth water after a week of tiny rations or just going hungry. 

“Elves and humans over here, and those with three or more legs can sit over there, with Phoe-Phoe!”

“You named her... Phoe-Phoe?” Ellis looked both confused and mildly horrified. 

_My_ _thoughts_ _exactly_ , I muttered internally. 

“She’s a Moon Phoenix. Her name is short for Phoenix-Phoenix.” Lujanne replied with a straight face, being completely serious, which was unlike her. 

Callum grinned at me and I rolled my eyes as I sat down at the table. 

“Hey Callum, your wing looks a lot better!” Ezran pointed out while stuffing his face with a jelly tart, and Callum fluttered them happily. 

“Yep - thanks to Lujanne.” He nodded his head at the moon mage, and she smiled. 

“It was the least I could do for what you did for the dragonling - he wouldn’t be alive right now if it weren’t for you.” She pointed out. 

Zym chirped at Callum, and I could only interpret the sound as his agreement. The dragon was definitely the cutest thing I had ever seen, with his little head nods and squeaks and big eyes. 

Ezran hummed happily as he took a bite out of a treat from the table. “You have the best food up here!” He mumbled around a mouthful of jelly tart. “What’s your secret?”

“Well...” Lujanne started, clapping her hands together. “My secret is... is that it’s all fake!”

“What do you mean?” Callum asked, setting down his food. 

“You know! Fake!” Lujanne told us again. “They’re delicious illusions! You’re actually eating grubs!”

I slowly chewed my food, still unsure if this was a joke. One thing I had learned over the past two days: you could never tell if Lujanne was being serious. 

Callum made a sound of alarm and went a little pale, but I barely noticed it as Ez started talking again. 

“Oh, you mean ‘grub’! As in ‘wow! this is some good grub!’” He said, and Ellis giggled. 

“Noooo... do you see what Phoe-Phoe is eating?” Lujanne nodded her head at the moon phoenix, and I shuddered at the way she was digging into the squirming meal. 

“You mean that bowl of worms?” Ezran said slowly, still trying to understand. 

“Yes, that’s right!” Lujanne exclaimed happily. “ _Those_ are  _ grubs _ !”

Callum was definitely green now as he opened his mouth, letting half-chewed worms fall out. 

I did the same, feeling sick. 

“I don’t care!” Ellis smiled, swallowing. “This illusion pie is the  _ best _ I’ve ever had!”

Ezran leaned over and retched, emptying his stomach. 

Ellis tilted her head at Callum as he pushed his plate away, the cake illusion having disappeared - leaving a wiggling pile of worms. 

“You don’t like grubs?” Ellis asked, confused. 

“No. I do not like ‘grubs’.” Callum said stiffly, looking like we was about to vomit himself. 

“But birds like them...?” Ellis observed and I snorted, finally connecting the dots.

Callum sighed. “I am not a bird.” 

“You look like one though...” Ellis said, studying Callum. 

Callum ran his hand through his hair. “I am _not_ a bird. I’m an _elf_.”

“A  _ sky _ elf with  _ wings _ !” Ellis pointed out, and I laughed. 

Callum pouted at me. “Come on. I thought you were better than this.”

I pursed my lips and nodded, eyeing his wings. “You know, you do remind me of the pigeons back in Katolis...”

Callum rolled his eyes and got up. “We really should get going. We’re sitting ducks here, just waiting for someone to find us.”

I nodded. “I agree. Something bad is going to happen, I can feel it.”

“Awwww, just a few more days! Please!” Ezran pleaded. “Zym needs to learn how to fly!”

Callum glanced at the dragonling, who had perked up as he heard his name. “Actually, that’s a good point. One more day?” He asked me now, making sure that I was okay with that. Valuing my opinion. 

I knew that if I said no, he wouldn’t fight me on it. 

“Fine.” I said, getting up from the bench. “One more night. But we leave tomorrow at midday.”

We decided to teach Zym how to fly straight afterwards. 

Ellis, Ava, Callum and I settled down in a clearing next to some ruins, ready to support Zym and help out if Ezran needed us to. 

I leaned against a tree that was next to the tall rock that Zym was going to try and fly off, so I had a clear view of the dragonling. 

“Okay, so you’ll want to flap your wings! Like this!” Ezran said, flapping his arms up and down in a poor imitation of a bird. 

Zym weakly moved his wings, but it was not nearly enough to get him in the air. 

“Great! Now you just need to jump off the rock, and fly!” Ezran exclaimed. 

“Uhhh...” Callum was watching the scene unfold with wide eyes. 

“What?” Ez asked him. 

“That’s not going to end well. He’s a newborn dragon, his muscles aren’t nearly strong enough to glide, let alone fly. And he’s not even used to moving his wings - he needs to become familiar with them before he can hope to get in the air.” Callum explained. 

We all just stared at him, and he grew increasingly confused. “What?”

“Maybe you can teach him how to fly! You have wings!” Ezran’s eyes lit up with the idea. 

“Oh, I - um - sure. Okay.” Callum got up and headed over to the rock Zym was on. 

“Alright, little guy! We’re going to teach you how to fly!” Callum said enthusiastically, with much more energy than I could hope to muster. 

Zym yapped and ran in a small circle, smiling a toothy grin at the elf. 

“Okay... I’m going to try and remember how I got taught...” Callum thought hard for a moment, then gave up. “It’s not really coming to me.”

“How old were you?” Ellis asked. 

“Hm?” Callum glanced her way. 

“How old where you when you learnt to fly? How long did it take? Were you good at it? Is it hard to fly?” One question quickly turned into four, and Callum chuckled before she could ask any more. 

“Well, I think I was two or three when I was first being taught. That’s when our wingspan first becomes double our height - which is enough surface area to balance out our density.”

Ellis looked enraptured, while me and Ez were a little confused. 

“That’s why my wings are really big - they should each be only a little smaller than my body.” Callum explained, extending his right wing fully to demonstrate. 

“How long does it take to be able to fly?” Ellis asked. 

“Well, it always depends. I was one of the faster younglings - I was able to glide at about two and a half. I could take off and fly at age four-“

“Wow! Why did it take a year and a half to be able to just... flap your wings?” Ellis questioned, flapping her own arms. 

“Well, gliding is fairly easy. You don’t have to propel yourself upwards, you just have to hold your weight. But to actually take off, you’re fighting gravity and lifting your own weight. So I had to build and strengthen my core muscles to be able to lift myself.” 

I was completely lost. 

Who knew that flapping some wings would be so technical. 

“Woooow!! That’s so cool!” Ellis exclaimed. “So you were good at flying? What’s the average age for first being able to fly?”

“Well, I was able to at about age four. The average age is maybe... four and a half to five years? Yeah, that sounds about right.” Callum nodded to himself. 

“So you were really good!” Ellis said. 

“I guess so.” Callum smiled, like he was just realising it. 

“And it’s hard to fly?” She asked her last question. 

“Yeah, it is. Even now, at almost sixteen, I still can’t go for flights for more than two or three hours, and I definitely can’t carry any extra weight for very long.”

“Hang on, you’re almost sixteen?” I interrupted. 

“Um, yes?” Callum frowned, confused. “Why?”

“I just... I didn’t know.” I murmured. 

“How old did you think I was?” Callum grinned, eager for an answer. 

“Oh, I don’t know. Just turned fifteen?” I sighed. 

“Am I that scrawny?” Callum joked. 

“I just didn’t think about your age.” I muttered. 

“What does that even mean?”

“Okay then, how old do you think I am?”

“Uh... sixteen? Seventeen?” He guessed. 

I was shocked at his guesses. “What? Do I look  _ seventeen _ ?”

“... I don’t know? I guess I know what you mean now - I didn’t really think about your age either.” Callum conceded. 

“I’m almost fifteen. My birthday is in two and a half months.” I leaned back against the tree, rolling my eyes. 

“You’re only fourteen?” Callum was stunned by this, which I found offensive, before he just dropped it. “Okay, okay. Nevermind. Back to Zym.” Callum took a deep breath in, almost like he was steadying himself. 

I almost immediately got distracted from his comments - it was genuinely interesting how he took breaths with purpose, like they were the blood that ran through his veins. Where everyone else just breathed mindlessly, he carefully took air in and out of his lungs like it was an art. 

“So, first; gliding.” Callum told the dragon, who was looking increasingly anxious. 

Callum scaled a tree, heading up to a branch that was about three metres above the ground. “You just need to do this.” He told Zym, before jumping off the rock and spreading his wings to easily soar to the ground smoothly. Zym warbled uneasily and glanced back down at the ground below him. 

“Come on, you can do it!” Ezran cheered.

Bait grunted, his face looking... less than impressed with the Ezran’s display of support. Maybe the glowtoad was jealous?

Nah. That’s silly. 

Callum stepped up to the rock Zym was perched on. “It’s okay. I’ll catch you, I promise.” He held out his hand, and Zym nuzzled it. They really did have a connection - not like Ezran’s, which was like a deep, brotherly bond. But more like ‘hey, we both have the sky primal and can fly’.

That was _really_ poorly worded, but it kind of explained what Zym and Callum were like. Kind of. 

Callum moved backwards a little bit, and smiled encouragingly at the tiny dragon. Zym breathed in deeply, then spread his wings and launched himself off of the rock. 

His wings almost immediately failed him and he fell to the ground, but Callum dove forwards and caught him - just. 

The elf ended up on his stomach with Zym cradled in his outstretched arms. 

“Whew.” Callum sighed. 

Zym licked the elf’s face, and Callum laughed loudly as he sat up with the dragon in his lap. 

Callum saw me staring, and smirked. “What are you staring at?” Zym chirped in the same teasing tone that Callum used, and he laughed. 

“You’re adorable.” I blurted without thinking, and Callum’s eyes widened. 

“Ummm...” He looked like his brain had stopped working, like he couldn’t process my words. 

“Rayla?” Ezran asked, grinning evilly. 

“I meant the dragon!” I blurted, definitely blushing. “What did you think I meant?”

“Callum, obviously.” Ellis was wearing the same expression as Ezran, and it made me a little scared of what they might say next. 

“Okay!” Callum yelled, talking to Zym now. “Let’s try again!”

Ezran sidled over to me and whispered in my ear. “Nice save.”

After a lot of practice, we had a small break and had some food - real food. Berries and fruits that Lujanne had stashed. 

Then we were back to flying with Zym. 

“And we’re back! This time we’re here with a special guest. She’s mystical, magical, moon-powered - and she knows how to fly.” Ezran said to Zym. 

I was sitting at the same tree as before, but Callum was sitting next to me this time. He was watching carefully, making sure that the Dragon Prince wouldn’t come into any harm. 

“Please welcome - Phoe-Phoe!” Ez introduced, gesturing towards the moon phoenix perched on top of the rocks. 

She ruffled her wings impatiently, tilting her head to look down at us. 

“Ready Phoe-Phoe?” Ez asked. “Show ‘em how it’s done!”

Phoe-Phoe spread her wings and flapped them a couple of times, never taking off but sending large gusts of wind towards us. 

“See? It’s easy!” Ez exclaimed, and Zym growled excitedly. 

The dragonling slowly spread his wings, flapping them once unsteadily. 

It was a start. 

“Yes! Yes, that’s right!” Ezran cheered. 

He picked Zym up and lifted him above his head, Zym yelping in surprise. 

“Now I’m going to show you what flying feels like!” Ezran yelled happily, running around as Zym started beating his tiny wings again. 

I glanced over to Callum, who was far more relaxed than before. In fact, he had his sketchbook out and was drawing the scene in front of him. 

Already I could make out Ellis and Ava watching happily, and Ez with a broad grin on his face. Zym was only a couple of lines so far, but it was still an amazing portrait. 

“Wow. You’re really, really good.” I told Callum. 

“I- uh- this is only a rough sketch, it’s not done-“ He stammered, and I pinched his shoulder lightly. 

“Just accept the compliment. Before I take it back.” I teased, and Callum laughed. 

“Okay. Thank you.” He amended. 

“Yes! Yes! You can do it-“ Ezran shouted, jolting us out of our little bubble - and I looked up just to see Ez throw Zym in the air. Only for the dragonling to glide for a moment, then crash into a bush. 

Ezran gasped loudly, instant regret and horror decorating his face. 

“Ezran!” Callum yelled, jumping up and running to the bush. 

“You killed the dragon prince!” Ellis exclaimed, hesitantly guiding Ava closer to the bush. 

“Oh no- I’m so stupid! Oh no, no, no!” He cried, stumbling forwards. 

But then Zym’s head popped out of the bush, a leaf in his mouth. 

“He’s okay.” I sighed, collapsing back against the tree. Callum looked relieved too, kneeling next to the bush. 

“I’m so sorry!” Ez apologised. “I wasn’t trying to hurt you, I promise.”

Zym spat out the leaf and yipped, confirming that he was alright. 

I didn’t miss the disgruntled look on Bait’s face once again. 

Callum:

It was almost night, and I decided to go on a small walk. Just enough to get me calmed down again after Zym being flung into a bush, and then Rayla calling me _adorable_...

Surely she hadn’t been talking about me though. Surely not.

After half an hour of my thoughts going around in circles, I stumbled a little, trying to force my eyes open. What in the nexus had happened? 

I wasn’t that tired, surely...

I yawned widely, fighting the urge to curl up in a ball and sleep. Then I heard it - it was music playing - like some sort of woodwind instrument. 

Weird. I hadn’t heard that before. 

Eventually I stumbled to the ground in front of some rose bushes, sleep crashing into me like a tidal wave. 

And then, a sound that reminded me of Rayla drawing her sword, and from an unfamiliar voice:

“Do it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lmao no clue if that’s how flying actually works, I just couldn’t find a lot on how birds actually fly  
> Also yes this chapter is very close to canon, but it changes a lot later I promise.


	11. Half-Moon Lies

“It doesn’t seem... sporting.”

A moment of silence. 

“You want me to wake him?” The female one asked. The voices woke me up slowly - the flute was gone, allowing my brain to finally start concentrating again. 

Another silence - presumably for a nod or shake of the head. 

“How how long do you need him to be awake for it to be  _ sporting _ ? Ten seconds? Five?” She asked, clearly tired of the male. 

“One second.” He said meekly. 

“Okay.” She said, exasperated. “On three.”

“One.” I heard someone shift, probably getting ready to attack me. 

“Two.” I could almost feel the air telling me a sword was raised above my head. 

“One.” 

I rolled out of the way, just as a sword crashed down on the rock I had been resting on. 

“But- how did you resist the sleep spell?” The female asked - a human girl, about my age. 

“You guys were arguing too loud. Work on that for next time.” I snarked. 

The male - a few years older than me, bulky, armoured and clearly well trained - charged me again. 

I ran. 

A few times, the soldier almost caught up to me, taking a swing at my head or torso. I honestly didn’t know how I was still alive. 

Eventually, I stumbled across a mud pit. I whirled around, facing the pair. 

The human boy kicked my torso, hard. I was flung into the mud pit, and I scrambled to get back up. 

“Any last words,  _ elf _ ?” The boy sneered, raising his sword again. 

“Uhhh... does hot mud count?” I asked. 

“What?”

I kicked up mud, bits of it splattering all over the boy. He spluttered and coughed, before yelling and swinging his sword at me. 

“Stop!” I heard a someone cry, and I almost sighed in relief. 

Rayla. 

“Rayla?” The female asked, turning to see my favourite human sprinting towards us. 

“Stop! Don’t fight!” She said, firmly planting herself between me and the other humans. “You guys are not enemies!”

“They’re trying to kill me!” I shouted, just as the pair yelled at Rayla as well. 

“He kidnapped you!” The girl protested. 

“He threw mud at me and some got in my mouth!” The boy spat onto the ground again, and I felt no small amount of satisfaction. 

“Okay, okay! Just relax - let me explain!” Rayla stopped us all. 

“Claudia and Soren. I have no clue what you’re doing here, but I’m glad to see you.” She said. 

“What?! They just tried to kill me, what do you mean you’re glad-“ I interrupted, but Rayla held out a hand. 

“They’re two of my oldest friends and I’m happy to see them.” She said firmly, before turning to gave the other humans again. “But I’m not glad to see you two trying to kill my new friend. Callum.” She frowned at them. I was tempted to stick my tongue out at them, but I decided against it. 

“He’s an elf!” Soren protested, waving his hand at me wildly. 

“He’s a good elf.” Rayla said, crossing her arms. 

“What is that supposed to mean?! A good elf?” I yelled. 

“He kidnapped you and Ezran! How can he be good?” Claudia exclaimed. 

“He didn’t kidnap me - I went with him by choice. So did Ezran.” Rayla told her. 

I was glad that she didn’t mention that I couldn’t kidnap her if I tried - she would kick my ass easily. 

She sighed. “Look. It’s late. Let’s all just... get some rest. Talk in the morning.” She held her arm out to me, and I happily took it and let her help me out of the mud. 

I saw the evil looks I was getting from the other humans. But I stayed next to Rayla, showing off just how close we were. 

“Hey. So... how is everyone?” Soren immediately went up to Rayla to talk to her. 

My jaw almost dropped. He was kidding - was he actually trying to be all chummy with Rayla just after trying to kill me?

Ugh. Humans. 

“Pancakes!” Claudia announced, holding up a plate of... weird, yellow discs? 

We were all seated at the table, ready for a morning meal. I was seated next to Rayla, still flaunting that I was one of her closest friends not these two... humans... that she’d known her whole life...

Ugh.

The humans all cheered, watching hungrily as the ‘pancakes’ were set down on our plates. Claudia was... smiling at me when she served mine. 

Huh. I was expecting a frown or glare. 

I poked it with a fork curiously, then smelled it. 

Oh wow. Wow. It smelled... delicious. So amazing. 

I noticed Rayla watching me carefully as I put it in my mouth. I chewed a few times, before groaning appreciatively. 

“Mmmmmmmm, I have to admit... these are  _ good _ .” I said, not missing Rayla beaming at me. 

“Impossibly fluffy, right?” Claudia grinned. 

“How do you get these so light?” Ellis asked. 

“The secret is separating the eggs, and beating the whites into a stiff meringue. Aaaand... just a hint of dark magic.” Claudia winked, and I stopped chewing my mouthful. 

At least I wasn’t alone when I pushed my plate away. 

“So!” Claudia started, clasping her hands together. “Now that we know you’re not kidnapped, you guys should come back home! With the egg, of course!”

I narrowed my eyes at her. 

“Egg? Eggs would go great with these pancakes.” Soren exclaimed. Randomly.   


“Actually, there is no egg.” I told them, trying to look bored as I swished the moonberry juice around in my goblet. 

“What?! What happened to the egg?” Claudia asked frantically, standing up at the table. Ez ran off, probably to find the dragonling. 

“Well, you see... it hatched.” I said just as Ezran returned with Zym. 

Claudia gasped as she turned around, and then again as she really took in Zym. “It’s so cute!” She exclaimed, the dragonling yapping happily. 

“ _ Oooooooooo _ it’s a baby  _ dwagon _ !!” She was using a baby voice that immediately became irritating as rushed forwards, kneeling in front of him. “ _ Heyyyyy _ you-“

“Whoaaah. What happened to ‘its a weapon’?” I asked, standing between her and Zym and recalling her harsh words last time we saw each other. 

“Still true.” She said, standing up. “Someday it could bring death and destruction raining down on all of us.” She said ominously. “But right now,” she kneeled again, reaching out to pet him, “he’s so  _ widdle _ !”

I took Zym out of Ezran’s arms before she could touch him. “We’re headed back to Xadia today to return him to his mother. So... get a good look while you can.”

“Today?” Rayla asked from the table. 

“We agreed to leave tomorrow, remember?” I reminded her, hating how hesitant she looked now. 

“You guys need to come home.” Soren said suddenly, interrupting us. “Because... the king - your dad... really misses you!”

The king was dead. Soren was lying. 

“Rayla - they’re lying.” I insisted in the privacy of her and Ez’s room. 

“About what?” She asked, looking unimpressed with me. 

“Everything!”

“Callum. I will leave if you have no proof or evidence.” 

“I...it’s...” I shook my head, frustrated. How could I tell her that her father was dead? “Just please trust me.”

“Callum, I know that you think they’re lying but... I’ve known them my whole lives.” Rayla said, turning away. “They wouldn’t do that to me.”

“Rayla!” 

Claudia burst in the door, grinning widely. “Come on! Let’s catch up! Go for a walk, tell me what’s happening, you know? Like good old times!”

“Sure.” Rayla agreed, giving me one last look before joining Claudia. 

Rayla:

“Did I... interrupt something?” Claudia asked as we walked away. 

“What?”

“You and Callum - are you two a... thing?” She clarified. 

“What? Noooooo. He’s just my friend. My... elf friend.” I said quickly. 

Me and Callum? Pfffft. Nooooo. 

“Come on. I’ll show you around the Nexus.” I told her. 

We were  _ just _ friends. And it would always be that way. 

  
Callum:

I hadn’t heard from Ez and Ellis in a while, so I went to check on them. Make sure they weren’t doing anything death-defying or stupid. 

So of course when I found them, they were playing on a kind of line that ran from a tree at the top of a cliff to an area far below. It looked... extremely dangerous. And death-defying. And very, very stupid. 

I hid in the tree, watching as Ez and Zym sat in a chair and were sent down the line. 

Soren kept glancing at the peg, which looked... loose. 

He approached it, but he looked like he was about to pull it out, not hammer it back in. 

I dropped down behind him and he jumped, startled. “Hey, Soren. What’s that you’re doing?”

“I- uh- nothing!” He stammered. 

I frowned. “How about... you go next?”

Soren gulped. “I don’t...”

“Don’t what?” I asked, tilting my head. “Don’t think it’s safe?”

“Nope! It’s fine! Totally safe!” Soren reassured me, looking nervous. “Let me... just... tighten this peg...”

He rushed over to the peg and hammered it back in wildly with his sword. 

“There! All better! Super safe!” He said. 

“Go on then.” I said, gesturing towards the line. 

Soren gulped again, then swung his sword over the rope and jumped off of the cliff. He whizzed down, glancing back at me every couple of seconds. 

I shook my head slowly and walked back to the nexus. 

I sat down in Rayla and Ezran’s room, waiting for her to come back. I had proof that the siblings couldn’t be trusted!

“Yeah, I’ll show you the lake tonight. See you later!” Rayla called, then she saw me. 

“Callum.” She sighed. “Why do I feel like your back to say that Claudia and Soren aren’t trustworthy.”

“I have proof.” I told her, standing up. “Soren made a line you zip down, and it was really dangerous, and the peg was loose.”

Rayla raised an eyebrow. “And?”

“Well, before he went he tightened it! So he didn’t think it was safe enough as he had left it - for Ezran, Zym and Ellis!” I exclaimed. 

“A peg was loose and Soren tightened it?” Rayla sighed again. “Callum...”

“I’m not explaining it very well. But Soren-“

Rayla shook her head. “Stop reading into little things. You’re just overthinking it.”

I exhaled. “Fine. Whatever.”

After an afternoon of Soren telling the royals how much their dad couldn’t wait to see them again, I couldn’t take it. 

Just before dinner, I went back to Rayla’s room for the third time that day. 

“Callum? What are you doing here again?” She asked. 

“Just... I have something to tell you. I just don’t know how to say it.” I said, sitting down on the bed. 

After all, how was I supposed to tell her that her dad was dead and her friends were manipulating her by pretending he was alive?

She sat down next to me. “What is it?” 

“It’s...” I started, swallowing. It made things ten times worse that Rayla was looking at me with gentle, trusting eyes. “Something happened. I was meaning to tell you, I promise-“

“Rayla! It’s almost night!” Claudia interrupted us, appearing at the door. 

Rayla frowned at her. “Clauds, can you wait a second-“

But Claudia grabbed Rayla’s arm and started pulling her away. 

“Come on!” Claudia whined. “The Moon Nexus awaits!”

I lurched forward and my hand closed around Rayla’s other hand before she was dragged away. 

“King Harrow died at the castle.” I blurted. 

Rayla froze, and Claudia turned around slowly. 

“What...” She breathed. 

“I’m so sorry. I wanted to tell you-“ I started, but Rayla interrupted. 

“Claudia.” Rayla murmured, her voice quiet. “Is that true?”

The dark mage winced. “I was going to tell you, but then-“

“So it’s true. My father is dead.” 

Claudia closed her eyes, like she couldn’t bear to see Rayla’s face. “Yes.” She whispered. 

Rayla yanked her hands away from both of us, stepping backwards. Tears were pooling in her eyes. 

“You both knew. And neither of you told me.” 

I reached out, and Rayla looked like she wanted to take my hand. But at the last second, she shook her head furiously and bolted. Running far away from us. 

Rayla:

He was gone. Dead.

I never even called him Dad. 

I ran through the forest, not looking back. 

Callum knew. Claudia knew. That meant that Soren knew... he said that Harrow was missing us. 

He lied and manipulated me. 

A sob burst from my chest, and I stumbled. Still though, I kept running. 

How long had Callum known for? A few days? Since we left the castle?

At least he told me. Unlike Claudia and Soren, who were willing to leave me in the dark for god knows how long. 

Betrayal, anger, sadness - but mostly  _ hurt _ \- stabbed through my mind, and I almost gasped at the way my chest was aching. 

My last words to Harrow flashed through my head again, and I scrunched my eyes shut. 

My foot caught a root, and I tripped over fully. I hit the ground, hard, and rolled. I opened my eyes - my hands were covered in scratches and dirt, and they were bleeding too. 

I would never get to say to Harrow -  _ Dad _ \- that I loved him. 

I curled up against a tree and sobbed until I had no more tears left to cry. 

Callum:

I didn’t run after her. I just collapsed on the bed, covering my face with my hands. 

I had made such a mess of this. 

I heard a heavy sigh, and I looked over to where Claudia was sitting on a chair. 

“I’m guessing you hate me now for telling her that.” I said, looking back up at the ceiling. 

“I’m surprised by it too, but... I don’t.” Claudia said. “I should’ve told her straight away, but instead I was too focused on getting her back to the castle. You only did what a good friend would do.”

I snorted. “I had the chance to tell her the night it happened. I’m hardly a good friend.”

“Well then, we both suck.” Claudia muttered, chuckling darkly. 

“Yeah, that sounds about right.” I agreed, then I looked outside, to the forest she had disappeared to. 

“I’m going to go get her.” I said, getting up, but Claudia blocked my way. 

“No. Let her be alone for a while.” 

I sighed, and my wings twitched irritably. “Fine.”

It was after dinner when Rayla came back. She slipped into my room with red eyes and bloodied hands. 

“Hey...” I said, putting down my sketchbook. 

“No, keep drawing. Don’t stop for me.” She said, climbing onto my bed and sitting next to me. 

“Rayla. Let me wash your hands at least.” I said, and she frowned. 

“I can do it myself, it’s not even that bad-“

“Rayla.”

She sighed. “Okay.”

We went over to the basin where I dabbed the cloth over her hands, which had several scratches and rocks stuck in the skin. 

It was silent as I cleaned, but not uncomfortably so. Rayla, surprisingly, put up no fight as I helped her. 

I knew she was a strongly independent, and that she hated relying on others. So it was no small victory when I finished and she allowed me to examine the cuts closer. 

“It looks like they’ve stopped bleeding.” I told her, and she nodded. 

I sat down on my bed, surprised when she settled next to me. 

I continued my drawing of Zym playing at the base of a tree, his tongue lolling out of his mouth as he watched a leaf carefully.

After a few minutes, Rayla leant her head on my shoulder. I glanced down at her - she wasn’t asleep, her eyes were definitely open. 

I smiled softly and kept on drawing. 

“I’m not mad at you.” Rayla murmured. 

“Why-why not? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you’re not mad - but what I did was wrong, keeping it from you.” I stammered. 

“Firstly, I am mad. Just not at you.” Rayla told me. “Secondly, you actually told me about it. Which is more than what Claudia and Soren did.”

She sounded bitter and angry at the mention of their names. 

“But I just want to know... why didn’t you tell me sooner?” She asked, her eyes flicking up to look at me. 

“When I first knew about... what had happened, I didn’t want to hurt you. You had just left your home, and I didn’t want to make it any harder. Then later on, it was because we were just becoming friends and I didn’t want to ruin that. Which was pretty selfish of me.”

“It wasn’t.” Rayla insisted, shifting her head so she was resting her chin on my shoulder instead of her cheek. 

I tried not to focus on how close together our faces were.

I smiled at little at her. “Thank you.”

She smiled back, before moving her head again to focus on my drawing. 

“And today... I just couldn’t handle seeing Claudia and Soren so openly manipulating you and hiding the truth.” I finished. 

“Thank you again for telling me, even when my childhood friends wouldn’t.” Rayla murmured. 

“Of course.” I said back, smiling. 

We stayed like that for a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rayla: Me and Callum? Pfffft. Noooo. Never gonna happen.   
> Also Rayla: you’re adorable


	12. Smoke and Mirrors

After a while, I began to nod off on Callum’s shoulder. His presence was so calming, lulling me to sleep. I didn’t help that his wing was curved around my back, like a warm blanket. And the soft sounds of charcoal scratching across paper...

Eventually, my eyes closed and they didn’t blink open again.

“Mmmmm... what?” I mumbled. 

“Rayla. I think that you should go back to your room.” I heard. 

I slowly woke up, frowning at Callum. 

Back to my room. With Ez- oh gods.

How was I going to tell Ez about Harrow?

I was suddenly very awake. “I... don’t think I can.”

Callum looked confused. “...What?”

“I don’t think I can see Ezran yet.” I mumbled, looking away from the elf. 

“Hey,” he reached out, touching my shoulder with his hand. “You don’t have to. You can stay in here for the night.”

“Really?” I asked, glancing up at Callum’s face. His emerald eyes were so soft, and gentle, and understanding... 

“Absolutely. I’ll go tell him that you fell asleep in here and that I didn’t want to wake you - which is mostly true anyway.” He reassured me with a small smile. “Just stay here.”

I nodded and Callum cupped my face and brushed his thumb over my cheek once, before leaving to go to Ezran. 

The small action made my heart flutter unexpectedly. I touched my face where I could still feel his fingers. 

And when I glanced to the bed, I realised he left his sketchbook behind. 

Was it wrong to just have a small look?

I decided it wasn’t, and I flicked through the pages. 

There was a lot of me and Ez at the start, a full page sketch of the lake monster, and a few of the landscapes and humans we had met along the way. 

One of Ellis and Ava running around happily, a page dedicated to small drawings of Zym, then the one from yesterday of Zym playing with Ez, Ellis and Ava. One of Claudia and Soren... looking indifferent and mean. 

Was that how Callum saw them?

Then I found one of me with my sword drawn, concentrating as I faced off against a tree. 

Another one of me, laughing at the dining table.

Me, sitting on some ruins and grinning. 

I flipped through the next dozen or so pages... they were all of me. Well, one or two had Ez or Zym in them, but I was the centre of every single drawing. 

“I see you found my sketches.”

I snapped the book shut as Callum closed the doors behind him and walked up to me. 

He chuckled and sat down, handing the sketchbook back to me. “It’s okay. You can look through it if you want.”

“Thanks.” I mumbled, going back to the drawings of Zym and Ezran. 

We stayed up for a bit longer, talking about the drawings and laughing about the stories behind them. One of a very wet, very unimpressed me had Callum laughing the hardest. 

Eventually it got late, and Callum noticed me yawning. 

“Maybe it’s time to get some sleep.” He said, getting up and taking blankets out of the closet. 

“What are you doing?” I asked. 

“I’m setting up a place for me to sleep.” He said simply. 

“No, you’re taking the bed.” I insisted. 

“That’s where you’re wrong, Rayla.” Callum grinned. “You’re sleeping on the bed. And you can’t make me change my mind.”

“Callum, I’m the one who’s being a coward and can’t handle looking at my own brother-“

“Hey.” Callum cut me off, dropping his blankets and sitting next to me. “You are  _ not _ being a coward. You need some time, and that’s perfectly fine. Normal, even,” he told me firmly, leaving no room for argument. 

“So just take the bed,” he smiled, “and get a good night’s sleep.”

I sighed. “Fine.”

He grinned. “There we go.”

“Shut up,” I muttered, but I was smiling a little too. 

Callum was always good at making me feel better about life. 

He blew the candles out and took his jacket off. He undid buckles and straps, and his rigid armour finally slipped off. Setting it to the side, he settled into his pile of blankets, wrapping his wings around himself. I watched him for a moment, observing the way his breath evened out and his face relaxed. 

I rolled over and pulled the blankets up to my face, happily drifting off into sleep.

The next morning, I had decided to tell Ez about what happened with Harrow. 

But as I watched Ezran play with Zym, and my heart broke just a little. 

“Do you want me tell him?” Callum asked gently. 

“No!” I said suddenly. “No, I have to do this myself.” I amended, quieter. 

“Do you want time to come at least? You know, support and all?” He offered. 

I thought about it for a moment, before nodding. “Yes please.”

My voice was small and weak. Probably something to do with the fact that I was  _ terrified _ of hurting Ezran. 

I steeled myself, then walked forwards to where my brother was playing. 

“Hey, Ez?” I called, and he stood up and grinned at me. 

“Yeah Rayla?” 

“Do you want to go for a walk with me and Callum?” I asked him. 

“Sure!” He said brightly, bounding up to us. 

“Ezran... I wanted to say...” I tried to find the right words, but I just couldn’t. 

“Yeah?” Ez looked up at me with big, trusting eyes and my words failed me. 

“I... I just wanted to talk about...” I couldn’t think of anything to say. My mind went completely blank. 

“What Rayla is trying to say, is that sometimes there are changes in life.” Callum started speaking. “Sometimes you don’t expect them.

“Some people will see you as a little kid, but you’ve really grown up. And Rayla’s really proud of you.”

I glanced across at Callum, who had such... gentleness and tenderness in his eyes. He sounded like he was really speaking from the heart. 

“But when you grow up, sometimes you have to face things you’re not ready for.”

“Yeah. I know.” Ezran said, and I froze up. 

“You... know?” I murmured. 

“I know everyone’s counting on me to teach Zym how to fly. But that’s just the start.” Ezran said sadly. “Someone’s gonna have to teach him all the things he’s supposed to do. Everything he’s supposed to be.”

I was relieved that he didn’t know about Harrow but... he sounded really sad. 

“And he’s meant to learn it all from a big, strong, Kind of the Dragons.” Ez continued. “But... he doesn’t have that. All he’s got is... me.”

“Hey. Don’t be so hard on yourself, Ez.” Callum said. “I know it’ll be tough, but no matter what, you’ve got us.” He said, smiling at him and then me. 

I nodded. “Of course you’ll have us.”

“That’s right - me, Rayla, and probably Bait.” Callum dropped down on one knee and placed his hand on Ezran’s shoulder. “We’re all here for you.”

“Thanks guys. That means a lot.” Ezran said, smiling at us both. “But... I really wish Dad was here.”

I could feel my chest aching, hearing that. What would he be like if he knew that his dad would never be there again. 

“I keep wondering what he would do. What he would say to Zym.” Ezran said, walking away a few steps. “When I was little, and I wasn’t listening to him, Dad would say ‘Ezran, you’re a handful!’” 

I remembered that. Harrow scolding Ez. 

“So I tried to do that with Zym. ‘Azymondias, you’re a handful!’ But he doesn’t understand. He doesn’t even have hands!” Ezran sighed. “I guess... I just miss Dad. He’d know what to do, you know?”

I felt tears welling up in my eyes, and I wiped them away with my sleeve. 

“Rayla, what’s wrong?” Ezran asked. 

“I... I just miss him too.” I said, hugging Ezran tightly. 

“You okay?” Callum asked me when we got back to his room. 

“I... I couldn’t do it.” I mumbled, burying my face in my hands. “I just couldn’t tell him.”

Callum wound his arm around my shoulders, and I turned and embraced him. He didn’t hesitate to hug me back, letting my tears soak his vest. 

Callum:

I had an idea to cheer Rayla up. 

It probably wouldn’t work, but I had to try. 

“Hey.” I nudged Rayla with my elbow as she ate a small lunch. 

“What’s up?” She asked. 

“You know, my wings are feeling fantastic.” I grinned. 

She just looked at me, confused. 

I sighed. “I can fly again? Remember?”

She choked on her food. “Oh gods - I forgot!”

I started laughing. “I can see that.”

“Well then?” She said, eyes shining brightly. “Are you going to fly?”

“Maybe we could go to the forest, to the cliffs?” I suggested, and she nodded. 

“What are you waiting for? Let’s go!” She exclaimed, grabbing my arm and dragging me away. 

I took a deep breath in, savouring the mountain air. 

We were so high up that the air was crisp and fresh, and I lived for it. We were at the cliff where Soren had made the line-thing for Ez and Zym, a perfect place to start flying again. 

“I don’t see much flying going on.” Rayla teased from behind me and I rolled my eyes. 

I turned around to face her, my back to the cliff’s edge. My hand raised in a mock salute and I jumped off the edge. 

A shout rang out above me, and then Rayla’s terrified face was looking down at me as I plummeted below. 

I shook my head playfully and snapped open my wings, twisting around to soar above the treetops. My wings started beating and I rose up, into the clouds. 

I breathed in the air again, closing my eyes blissfully as the sky arcanum pulsed and expanded within me. It was truly alive, flooding me with power in every breath I took. 

I had missed this feeling. 

I dove down, swooping low above Rayla. For a split second, I could see her wide grin. 

When I soared back above the clouds, I had an idea. 

I reached into my satchel and pulled out a small jar. I scooped up some cloud with it, using small wind spells to guide the tufts into the glass bottle. 

When I landed next to Rayla, she was smiling almost as much as I was. But her expression quickly shifted to something more like… awe. 

“Your eyes… they’re glowing.” She murmured. 

I grinned. “That’s what being close to the sky does to me.” I got the jar out of my satchel. “Have you ever touched a cloud before?”

Rayla’s eyes were wide again. “Did you…?”

I couldn’t contain my smile as I opened the bottle and used a simple air spell to keep the wisp of air in front of us. 

It was tiny, but definitely a cloud. 

“Wow.” She murmured, hesitantly reaching out. Her hand stopped suddenly, and she glanced at me. “Can I touch it?”

“Of course.” I assured her. 

Her hand passed through it, and she jerked it back suddenly. 

“It’s damp!” She protested, looking shocked. 

I chuckled. “What did you expect?”

“I don’t know, for it to be just as fluffy as it looks?”

“Rookie mistake.” I grinned, and she cupped it in her hands. 

“This is so awesome. Thank you.” She said, watching the cloud as she held it carefully. 

“Anytime, princess.” I said, smiling at the nickname. 

Rayla rolled her eyes. “So, what else can you do? Surely you have some other tricks up your sleeve.”

“Well… I have a lot more. I can make you a miniature tornado if you want. Or summon lightning - from the sky, not just my hand.” I told her. “And of course, the old trick of summoning a storm.”

“You are never making a storm again.” Rama glared at me. 

I grinned. “We’ll see.”

After another hour of flying around and making small tornados on the ground - some as high as Rayla’s waist - we walked over to the central area of the nexus, where we knew Claudia and Soren would be. Sure enough, they were waiting for us. 

“We’ve decided. We’re leaving today.” I told them. 

“What? You can’t leave yet!” Claudia protested. 

“I’m sorry, but we can’t go back home with you.” Rayla said. 

“Are you  _ sure _ ? I mean, your dad is gonna be  _ really _ disappointed.” Soren said, looking pleased with himself. 

I was unable to stop the furious growl that escaped my chest, and the wing that curved ever-so-slightly around Rayla. 

Thankfully, Claudia was just as horrified. “ _ Soren _ !  _ What _ is  _ wrong _ with you?!” She shouted, slapping and shoving his shoulder. 

“I’m just trying to-“

“ _Don’t_! Stop it, Soren!” Claudia yelled. 

“Ugh. Fine. Do what you want.” He said begrudgingly, walking off. 

I wanted to electrocute him until he was smoking. 

I risked a glance at Rayla - she looked… okay. Ish. Not like she was about to fall apart in front of her friends like she had done three times with me. 

Oh. She trusted me enough to let me see her break down - but not her childhood friends. 

My hand found hers and squeezed it once, which she reciprocated with a small squeeze of her own. 

He punched a tree on his way out, and a swarm of moon moths fluttered around his face. 

“Ugh! Stupid moths!” He yelled, batting at them with his hand and sword. 

“I’m so sorry about him.” Claudia said, facing us again. 

“It’s okay.” Rayla mumbled,looking at the ground, and I glared at Claudia until she left us. 

Later that day, I was in Rayla and Ezran’s room, where Ez was trying to get Zym to fit in the bag. 

I was laughing, sitting on the chair as he struggled to get the dragonling to cooperate. 

Rayla walked in, seeming… a little happier. 

“Hey.” I greeted her, smiling. 

“Soren and Claudia want to come to Xadia with us.” She announced. 

“Wait, what?” I frowned sitting straight. 

“You heard me. They’re coming with us.”

“But… they betrayed you! And lied to you!” I protested. 

“They’re still my friends.” Rayla said, packing her things.

“This is a bad idea - they’ll probably betray us again, or worse!” I insisted, but she glared at me. 

“They just want to help.”

“It’s probably a trap!” I said, leaning back in my chair. 

“Or, they want to end the war.” Rayla shot back. 

“Or - and hear me out here… it’s a  _ trap _ .” 

She sighed, stopping her efforts to pack. 

“I know you trust them but… if they come with us, by the time we know the truth it’ll be too late.” I murmured, standing up next to her. 

“What are we supposed to do then?” She snapped, and I flinched. 

“Sorry, I’m sorry.” She muttered. 

“It’s okay.” I told her, placing a hand on her shoulder and smiling reassuringly. 

She smiled back - a small smile, but one nonetheless. “But how do we find out if it’s a trap or help?”

An idea formed in my head, fitting together perfectly. 

“Lujanne, I need some help.” I called. 

The moon mage was sitting down in the centre of the space, peaceful and quiet. Moon moths fluttered around her freely. 

“What is it you need help with?” She asked, standing up and facing me. 

“I was wondering if you could make me an illusion. Rayla, Ez and I are leaving and the other humans are going with us… but I don’t trust them. So I have a plan, and I was wondering if you could help.”

“What are you thinking?” She asked, hands already glowing. 

We walked to the central area of the nexus, meeting Ellis, Ava, Claudia and Soren there. 

“Oh yeah.” Soren muttered, stretching. 

“Where are Rayla and Ezran?” Claudia asked. 

“They’ll be here in a minute. Ez is still packing up some stuff, including his dragon.” I assured her. 

“It has been a pleasure to have you all here.” Lujanne spoke. “I truly have enjoyed you all sneaking past my defences and desecrating this sacred place these past few days.” I winced at that, and Ava whined sheepishly. “It will be lonely.  _ Quiet… _ but lonely without you.”

“I’ll miss you so much!” Ellis chirped, hugging the mage. 

“Ellis, you will always be welcome here.” Lujanne murmured, genuinely meaning it. 

Ava barked, and the mage laughed. “And you too, little one.” She reached into her robes and pulled out the collar. “You don’t need the illusion any longer, but I hope it serves as a reminder that someone is always looking out for you.” She clipped it back onto Ava’s neck, and the wolf panted happily. 

According to plan, Rayla and Ezran appeared behind me. Their faces were so… expressionless. It was weird to say the least. 

“Everyone’s here - let’s go.” I said, and Rayla and Ez followed close behind. 

As we were walking along, once we were far away enough from the nexus, I stopped and faced the group. 

“I think I saw some berries around the corner. I’m just going to go… gather some.” I announced loudly. 

I walked around the large rock, waiting for one of the siblings to follow me. 

Sure enough, I heard the faint sound of a sword being drawn from behind me. 

I rolled away, barely avoiding the blade as it crashed down next to me. 

“Come here-“ He grunted, chasing after me again. 

I took off, soaring into the treetops. 

Sure enough, we soon heard a shout from the path;

“Soren! Something’s wrong! This is a trick!” Claudia yelled. 

“What?  _ Noooo _ .” I said, rolling my eyes, and Soren frowned. 

“That was… sarcasm?” He asked, and I slapped my forehead. 

“Ellis! Ava!” I shouted. 

The wolf and girl bounded out of the bushes, stopping in front of Soren. 

“Here’s your moment Ava! Moonstone collar trick!” Ellis said, unclipping the collar. 

It glowed for a moment, then faded. 

“Nothing happened.” Soren stated, looking confused. 

“They’re… illusions.” We heard Claudia exclaim, talking about fake Rayla and Ezran. 

“What?! You’re saying they’re not real?” Soren snapped, and I laughed. 

“That’s what illusions mean, Soren!” Claudia shouted back angrily, and Ellis giggled before howling with Ava. 

Soren yelled in frustration and swung his sword at them, only for the wolf to dodge easily. 

“Not even close!” Ellis taunted, running away from another swing. 

“Where is the real prince and princess?!” Soren demanded. 

I looked upwards to see Phoe-Phoe fly above us, carrying Rayla and Eran on her back. 

Ezran shouted with joy as she swooped low, almost touching the treetops. 

I flew up, propelling myself onto the phoenix easily. 

But I wasn’t paying attention to Claudia, and suddenly a giant, glowing tentacle illusion lurched out and grabbed Phoe-Phoe. 

The phoenix screeched loudly, struggling to get away from Claudia as the tentacle reeled us in. 

“Claudia! Stop, please!” Rayla shouted above the wind howling around us. 

But she didn’t stop. 

Before I could blink, a chain flew out of nowhere and snagged around her arm. It was the hunter from before, with the grappling hooks. 

“Stop! Let them go!” He ordered, yanking the chain and something flew out of Claudia’s hand. 

Whatever it was, it made the spell stop and we were free to fly away. 

I sat back up on the saddle, between Ez and Rayla. 

“I was right - it was a trap!” I enjoyed my victory over the older siblings, grinning. 

“Yeah. You were right.” Rayla muttered.

“I wish I wasn’t. I’m sorry.” I murmured, holding her shoulder. But she looked miserable. 

And it was partly my fault. 

Once we were far away enough, Ezran opened the bag. “It’s okay Zym! It’s safe to come out now!” He said, and the dragonling poked his head out and whimpered softly. 

He climbed into Ezran’s lap, startled by our height. But he chattered happily when he saw my face, and I couldn’t help but smile back. 

“We’re up in the sky!” Ez exclaimed. “Wanna see how flying feels?”

He really was taking every opportunity available to show Zym what flying was. 

But the dragonling yipped, Ezran taking it as a yes. The prince held Zym above his head, and shouted encouragement. 

“Come on, spread your wings!” 

Zym did as he was told, and chirped joyfully as the wind rushed beneath his wings. Ez laughed at the excitement of the young dragon, just as happy. 

When I looked behind me to see if Rayla was enjoying the show just as much as I was, I found her looking towards the ground and deep in thought. Probably bad thoughts, if the sadness in her eyes meant anything. 

So for the second time that evening, I grabbed her shoulder. She looked up at the sudden touch, and I smiled at her as Ezran cheered again. 

A small smile tugged at her lips, and some of the sorrow in her eyes melted away, and I was satisfied with that. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next: the boat journey  
> I love the next few chapters so much and hopefully you guys do too


	13. Voyage of the Ruthless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> CAPTAIN VILLADS AND HUMAN CALLUM  
> that is all I have to say thank you and goodnight

We were soaring through the sky when I woke up sleepily. Rayla’s head was resting on my back, between my wings, and her arms were around my waist to steady herself. I yawned and straightened myself, stirring her in the process. 

“Wha… where are we?” She groaned, detaching herself from my back. 

“Still flying.” I told her. 

“Hey… are we losing altitude?” She asked, very awake suddenly. 

She was right. We were no longer flying with the clouds around us. 

Stupid Callum. How did I not notice us slowly descending into the forest-

We all screamed as Phoe-Phoe’s wings gave out and we plummeted to the ground. I whipped around to make sure Rayla was safe - but she had been bucked off the saddle entirely from Phoe-Phoe’s frantic attempts to stay in the air. She was free-falling behind us. 

“Rayla!” I cried, jumping off the phoenix and launching myself at the human. When I reached her, she gripped my forearms wildly and scrunched her eyes shut. 

I latched onto her waist, and her arms moved to secure themselves around my neck as she buried her face into my shoulder. I spread my wings and glided down to the ground carefully - the phoenix not far behind us. 

Ezran was next to be flung off Phoe-Phoe, and I let go of Rayla to swoop down and catch him and Zym before they landed on the rocky shore below. 

“Are you okay?” I asked after examining Ez, running back to Rayla and cupping her cheeks in my hands to check her for any injuries. 

It was then I realised how I was holding her and I let go abruptly, blushing slightly. 

“No.” Rayla was wide-eyed and pale, sitting on the ground and shaking a little. “If that’s what flying is like… I don’t know how you do it.”

After we had regrouped and calmed down, Ez asked Phoe-Phoe what was wrong. 

“Phoe-Phoe is okay.” He confirmed. “She’s just tired. She gets her power from the Moon Nexus. The further away we go, the harder it is to carry everyone.”

He scratched her neck, smiling at the giant bird. “You did such a good job getting us so far. Thank you.” He hugged her, and the phoenix cooed back happily. 

She flew away in majestic swoops, and then she was gone. 

“So, uh, what do we do now?” Ez asked. 

“Xadia is that way.” I said, pointing across a giant lake. 

“Of course it is. Over miles and miles of water.” Rayla muttered. 

“We’ll just walk around it.” I said. “We don’t have to cross it by water-“

“No.” Rayla cut me off. “That’s sweet, but walking around is going to take too long. We need to get Zym home.” She said, looking at the baby dragon as he played with Bait. “We’ve got to go straight across.”

We found a small fishing town, with boats and captains ready to sail across. 

“Well, we need a boat.” Ezran said, peering over the crates we were hiding behind. “And a captain who knows how to make it go.”

“And a captain who doesn’t hate elves.” Rayla added, and I grinned at her. 

“Oh, that won’t be a problem.” I assured her. “See, I’ve been studying humans since I crossed the border. And I’ve created the perfect impersonation of one.

“Meet… Human-Callum!” I said, wrapping the cloak around me and tucking my wings in tightly. 

“Hello, human fellas! Fellow humans!” I said in an exaggerated human accent. 

“...what.” 

Rayla looked unimpressed to say the least. 

“I like the simple human things, like tasteless lumps of cooked flour, complaining about things while doing nothing about them, and harassing others to make myself feel better!” I exclaimed, the smile on my face growing with every word. 

“That is… so accurate!” Ezran cheered, clapping his hands. 

Rayla had no comment. 

“Let’s hide our feelings, but expect people to read our minds and know what’s wrong!” I continued. 

“Do another!” Ezran said, giggling. 

“Sure thing, old friend!” I said. 

I didn’t have to think too hard for another example. 

“I’m going to rapidly consume a plate of unhealthy food in an unnecessarily large portion size!” 

“He’s right!” Ezran laughed. “I’d eat a jelly tart the size of a dog!”

“Yeah, this isn’t going to work.” Rayla muttered, facepalming. “Ez, let’s go look for a captain. Callum… stay here. And don’t attract any attention.”

“Absolutely, fellow human!” I exclaimed, grinning, but she just scowled at me. 

After half an hour of waiting, I was tapping my foot against the crate while laying down and pouring my heart out to Zym and Bait. 

“I just feel like if I bring the Dragon Prince back, I’ll finally get the recognition. You know?”

“Callum!” Rayla called, and I sat up. 

“What? What happened?” I asked. 

“We found the perfect captain!” She exclaimed happily, grabbing me by the hand and dragging me up. 

Not that I minded she was holding my hand. Actually, it was really nice.

_ Whoa _ . That was a… weird thought. 

_ Later, Callum.  _ I scolded myself, and I followed Rayla to the docks. 

I pulled the hood around my face tightly to hide the shade of my skin, but Rayla pulled my hands down. 

“Don’t worry. That’s not going to be a problem.” She said, still smiling widely. 

“What, does he like elves that much?” I asked, really curious now. “Just sees the good in each and every one of us?”

“I don’t think he can really see the good in anyone.” Ezran said. 

“But that’s part of what makes him perfect for the job!” Rayla grinned as we came up to the docks. 

We approached a man standing at the edge of the docks, looking out towards the sea. He was an imposing figure, posing dramatically. 

“We’re back!” Ezran said. 

As he turned slightly, I could see he had an eyepatch on his left eye. 

And then he faced us fully, and I saw he had eyepatches on both eyes. 

“Greetings!” He shouted, striding towards us confidently even though  _ he couldn’t see _ . 

“The name’s Captain Villads. The ‘d’ is silent.” He said, far too loudly. 

“There’s a… d?” I asked. 

“Arr!”

“There’s a silent ‘r’?” I was extremely confused at this point. 

“Narrrr.”

“Oookay…” I said, just going along. 

“This is our friend, Callum. Who happens to be a human.” Rayla told the captain, gesturing to me. 

“Rayla… I don’t think he can see that.” I whispered, pointing to her hand. 

“Oh. Forgot.” She laughed, pulling it away. 

“And his very normal dogs, Zym and Bait.” Ezran added. 

“Ahoy Callum! Ahoy doggos!” Captain Villads greeted us. “And this is me first mate, Berto!” He said, waving his hand at the parrot on his shoulder. 

“I’m a parrot.” The bird squawked, much to my amusement. 

“Now you won’t be the only talking bird on board.” Rayla snickered with a sly grin.

“Oh, be quiet.” I muttered, but I was smiling too. 

“Me ship’s this way!” Captain Villads announced, walking towards a ship that was docked behind us. “Welcome to me water home,  _ The Ruthless _ !”

We all ‘ooo’d at the ship. 

“Named after me dear wife, Ruth.” The captain finished. “Who sadly,” he sniffled, “don’t enjoy sailing.”

“Makes two of you.” I muttered to Rayla, who rolled her eyes. 

“So you said if the wind’s on our side, we could make it across the bay pretty quickly?” Rayla asked Captain Villads, ignoring me. 

“Aye!” He affirmed, much louder than necessary. “Course, there’s a storm comin’.” 

There were varying reactions to this. 

I was overjoyed - storms! Lightning! Rain! Fun!

Rayla went pale and a little green. 

Ezran was worried that we would have to stop.

“So, we have to delay departing for a few days.” The captain finished. 

“We’re on a tight schedule. Could we just leave now?” I asked. 

Nope. Me wanting to leave early had nothing to do with trying to catch the storm. 

“Hmm, I suppose if we leave right away, we could race across the bay and beat the storm.” Captain Villads thought to himself. 

“Yes. Let’s leave right away!” I said, excited. 

“No problem!” He shouted, walking up onto the boat, before stopping halfway and facing us. “Unless the storm catches us mid-bay and kills us all!”

My face brightened at the idea of the storm catching us, while Rayla looked more and more queasy by the second. 

Rayla:

We were sailing, flying over the water at a pace far faster than walking. I could feel every lurch of the boat, every wave we bumped into. 

Callum was chatting excitedly to Captain Villads, while I was busy trying to keep my breakfast in my stomach. At one point, I swore I saw the captain fall asleep while standing, and then waking up suddenly. 

Overall, this was not going to be a pleasant trip. 

Then, without warning, it started raining heavily. 

“Hmmm. Storms a’coming. Seems as if we won’t beat it after all.” Villads laughed at that. 

I ran to the side of the boat, ready to empty the contents of my stomach. 

“Hey! Did you hear what Captain Villads said?” Callum said happily, appearing at my side. 

“...yes.”

“A storm is coming! And I can feel it now - it’s so close!” Callum exclaimed, before sighing contentedly. 

“And you are so excited about that,  _ why _ ?” I grumbled. 

“Rayla. Sky elf. Storm. It’s kind of what we do.” He grinned. 

“Ugh.” I mumbled, before the boat rocked unexpectedly and I gagged a little. 

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Callum said, genuinely apologetic. “I almost forgot that you don’t like… boats.” 

“It’s ‘kay.” I mumbled. 

I stumbled below deck, Callum supporting me - infuriatingly steady on his feet - before I was set down under some small shelter. 

“I’m going to go help Captain Villads. I’ll be back soon.” He told me, handing me a bucket. 

That was when the lightning and thunder really picked up. 

Eventually, after  _ way _ too much jostling and waves and such, we came to rest at a dock. It was far easier to stand and not vomit, as the boat was still and calm when not being sailed through rocks. 

But it was still pouring with rain and flashing with lightning. 

I got up and stood at the railings, watching bolts of lightning explode above the island. 

“Hey.” I heard, and turned to see Callum walking up to me. His hair was damp and his clothes were dripping, hugging his form - the sight making my heart quicken. 

And his eyes. 

In the storm raging around us, his eyes were actually glowing. The green had streaks of deep blue in them that flashed white with every lightning strike. 

“H-hey.” I replied, staring at his beautiful eyes. Lightning hit a tree in the distance, the stormy blue flickered like the bolt. Thunder roared deafeningly, the emerald pulsed. 

They look like primal stones, I realised. 

I must’ve been staring for a moment too long, because he smiled and lifted his hand to touch the skin just beneath his eyes. 

“You like my eyes?” He asked, smirking a little. 

“They’re beautiful. Like they have miniature storms trapped inside.” I murmured. 

Callum’s lips parted in surprise at my comment, but then he smiled. Genuinely, not teasingly. 

“Thank you.” He said, then looked out towards the lone building on top of the hill just as it was struck by a blinding light. The thunder slammed into us like a wave, booming in my ears. Where I flinched, Callum looked like he lived for it. 

“I see you like the storm.” I said, turning around to lean back onto the wood and brace my elbows against the railing. “You weren’t kidding before.”

“Absolutely not. And it’s so close, right over our heads.” He grinned, still watching the sky. “I’m guessing that you’re not enjoying it as much.”

I snorted. “You would be correct. Storms are loud, dangerous, and very, very wet.”

“Then why are you out here?” He faced me, curious. 

“I don’t know. I guess... the thrill?” I sighed. “I like thunderstorms, but hate them at the same time. That makes no sense, but it’s how I feel. As long as we aren’t being tossed around in the flimsy boat… I’m happy being out here.”

Callum chuckled. “I’ve heard similar things from other elves. Even skywing ones. Don’t worry, you’re not alone.”

“Other skywing elves?” I asked incredulously. 

“Well, some sky elves are chaotic and wild. They tend to be drawn to storms. But other sky elves just enjoy peaceful breezes, and calm, sunny days. It’s a large spectrum.” He explained. 

“Oh. That makes... a lot of sense.” I agreed, then smiled. “Does this mean that you’re ‘chaotic and wild’ if you enjoy storms so much?”

Callum laughed. “I should’ve known you would notice that.”

“Well?” I pressed. 

“Not really. As we have established many times in the past week, I am not a normal elf.” He grinned, and I laughed. 

“True, true.” I agreed. 

That little feeling in my gut again - what was that?! It was really annoying, like butterflies fluttering around!

“I’m going for a quick fly.” Callum announced, snapping me out of my thoughts and already spreading his wings. 

I gathered my wits enough to understand what he said. “Are you insane?” I yelled over the boom of thunder that suddenly echoed around us. 

He smiled down at me, already a few feet off the ground. “Just trust me.”

He beat his wings, sending him high into the sky. He disappeared into the clouds, and I glared up at the direction he went in. 

“If you die, I swear I’ll... I’ll kill you.” I muttered, moving away from the edge of the gently swaying boat to sit against the main mast. 

A few minutes later, Callum was spearing out of the clouds again. He spiralled down, then suddenly stopped and looked around. 

“What is he...” I murmured, but I was interrupted by a blinding flash of light. 

Lightning split the sky in two, arching around the elf. My heart stopped as he went limp and stopped beating his wings, electricity snapping and crackling over his body. 

“Callum!” I screamed, jumping up as he started free-falling. His wings were still spread out enough to somewhat slow his fall, but he still slammed into the deck of the boat. 

“Callum!” I shouted again, having reached him. I shook his shoulders, but he wasn’t responding. 

“Rayla! What happened-“ Ezran cut off as he saw Callum’s smoking form. 

I looked back, tears gathering in my eyes, at Ezran. “He got- he got struck.”

Ezran clapped his hands over his mouth, and I turned back to the elf in my arms. 

I buried my face in his neck and hugged him tight. I felt a hand on my back - I thought it was Ezran’s at first, but it was too large. And I could only feel four fingers splaying against my back. 

“Callum-“ I choked, pulling back, and he chuckled a hoarse laugh. 

“I’m okay.” He told me, embracing me back. 

“What the hell was that?!” I yelled, recovering, and I slapped his shoulder. 

Callum laughed again. “It was a bigger bolt than expected.” 

He finally opened his eyes, and my mouth fell open. The emerald was bright, shining and rippling with pulsing hues of light blue. 

Before, his eyes were only glowing. Now… they were their own light, like a bonfire underwater. 

He grinned, oblivious to my shock. “On the plus side, I can do this now-“

He flicked my shoulder, and I felt a jolt of electricity arch from his fingers to me. 

I yelped and dropped him to the deck, scrambling back as he reached for me. 

“Callum! This is not funny!” I shouted, staying out of his reach as he sat up, laughing. 

“This is actually pretty hilarious.” His stupid grin wouldn’t go away. “You thought I died.”

“You got hit by a bolt of lightning! And went unconscious! You seemed pretty dead to me!” I argued. 

“Admit it. You care about me.” He teased. 

“Don’t make me throw you overboard.” I warned, standing and brushing myself off. 

He chuckled, then held his hand out in a silent request for me to help him up. I sighed, extending my arm, and was immediately met with a current running through me. 

I pulled my hand away sharply, crying out in surprise, and Callum doubled over laughing. “I didn’t think that you would fall for that!” He wheezed. 

I shoved him, only to have sparks dance from his shoulders and down my fingertips. They were a lot weaker than before - but from the way his eyes still shone brightly and little zaps ran across his wings, he still had plenty of charge. 

Later that night, we settled in the cabin on our blankets. Ezran laying down between me and Callum. 

I was about to drift off to sleep when I heard a voice that was so quiet it was almost a whisper. 

“You care about me, right?”

I opened my eyes to see Callum’s head, turned to face me from where he was laying on his back. 

I couldn’t gather what he was feeling in the darkness, couldn’t even see his expression. Only his eyes, still pulsing with energy from the bolt of lightning and the soft rain outside. 

I rolled onto my side to face him. “Of course, dummy.” I said, smiling at him. 

I could just see the corners of his mouth tug upwards. 

I turned away, hugging Bait tightly. “Night, Callum.”

After a few minutes, I heard the soft words;

“I really care about you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh yeah. Things are *happening*


	14. Breaking The Seal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so begins the slightly shorter chapters - there’s not a whole lot of episode for me to go off, and there’s only so much that can happen on a boat, sorry about that :/

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH WOW 200 KUDOS
> 
> Thank you all so much for reading, kudo-ing, and commenting - it makes me so happy to see you guys enjoying my story and giving me feedback, and this means a lot to me!  
> You guys are the best <3

The boat was rocking when I woke up. 

Not a pleasant, soft rocking - I was almost rolled over on the hard floor by a wave that crashed into the vessel. 

I gasped, trying furiously to not throw up. 

“Ray… Rayla?” I heard a mumble. 

“I’ll be back,” I muttered, before dashing outside to lean over the railings. 

Another nauseatingly large wave jolted the boat, and I was nearly flung overboard. 

But I felt a steady hand on my shoulder keeping me grounded. 

“Do you want to go explore the island?” Callum murmured. “It’s still too windy to sail safely, so we have a few hours. You know, get away from the water for a while.”

Away from this cursed boat. 

I sighed happily. “That sounds fantastic.”

“Hold on to me,” he muttered and I turned around, confused. 

His arms went around my waist and secured me to him, and my arms wound around his neck on instinct. 

“What are you-“ I went to ask, but I was cut off by his wings spreading wide as he launched us off the deck of the boat and flew us towards the shore. It was far more controlled and calm than yesterday’s frantic flight… I almost enjoyed it. 

It was only a tiny flight, enough to get us to the land. When we touched down, I felt disorientated by the solid ground and the lack of lurching. 

“Oh, sweet land,” I cried, falling to my knees and bracing myself on the solid, rocky surface. 

“Wow. I know you hate water, but each time we get back on ground it gets more and more amusing,” Callum noted, and I slapped his leg from where he was standing next to me. 

“This isn’t fair. You get to tease me about something, but I have no dirt on you,” I complained as he helped me up. 

“What do you propose then?” He asked, eyes twinkling. 

“Tell me something you hate. Or are afraid of. Either works,” I said, dusting myself off. 

We started walking down a random trail. “I don’t really have any big fears, apart from the ones everyone has,” he said thoughtfully. 

“Like?” I pressed. 

“You know. Dying, drowning, getting eaten by banthers… the obvious stuff.” 

“Seriously? That’s it?” I muttered, and he laughed. 

“I suppose I have one fear,” he admitted. “Losing the people I love. 

“I’ve lived so much of my life alone… when someone comes by that I care about, I’m terrified that they’ll leave me, willingly or not.” He murmured. “I’ve been known to get a tad aggressive when my family or friends are threatened.”

“Like… at the Banther Lodge?” I asked. “When Amaya was going to take us away?”

He nodded. “Exactly like then.”

I nudged his shoulder with mine, smiling. “Well, it’s nice to know that you care.”

“Of course.” He smiled in return. “You’re the best friends I’ve ever had.”

“You’re not so bad yourself.” I grinned, and he chuckled. 

“Boy, I can’t believe that I actually believed that humans were pillaging, selfish beings,” he said to himself, gazing into the distance. “You and Ez are the exact opposite of that.”

“Same for you and elves,” I agreed. “Apart from those moonshadow elves who broke into the castle - they seemed pretty bad.”

Callum shook his head. “That’s the thing - that elf tried to throw a knife at you, Tia… she was really a nervous seventeen year old who was anxious to prove herself. She just wanted a friend, and some respect.”

I thought about that for a moment. I needed to stop thinking of those elves as assassins and more like… people. People with families, personalities and dreams. 

“Oh…” I breathed. 

“Yeah.” Callum seemed to know exactly what I was thinking. “It suddenly makes everything more complicated than bad guys and good guys.”

“You don’t say,” I murmured. 

Callum’s ears perked up as he stopped walking, and when I went to ask him what was wrong he held a hand up to stop me. 

Finally, I heard voices from in front of us, and Callum grabbed me suddenly. I squeaked in surprise, but he was already flying us into the treetops above the trail. 

He was flying far too fast for my liking - and we were way higher above the ground than the small flight off the boat - and when I risked a glance down…  _ wow _ we were high up. 

He settled at a reasonably thick branch twenty or so metres above the ground. He might not have been scared of falling, but I was terrified of the swaying tree - especially as we were standing, relying on our balance. 

I clutched at his jacket so hard that my knuckles went white, and I hid my face in the place where his shoulder joined his neck. Thankfully, he left his hands secured on my back, keeping me close to him. 

“What in the bloody hell was that?” 

I heard the shout from the ground, and Callum’s wings cocooned around us as he tugged me backwards until his back was pressed against the tree trunk. 

“Don’t like heights?” He asked, and I managed to look up to glare at his smirking face. 

“I don’t like being whisked away onto a treetop without any warning,” I corrected sharply, but then I remembered that we were on a branch that was as wide as my torso and any fall would be beyond fatal - and I buried my face back in his shoulder. 

“I’ve got you. We won’t fall,” he murmured, his arms sliding tighter around me, and his thumb gently stroked my back. 

We waited like that for about ten minutes, and the wind really picked up. The tree was dancing in the wind, and Callum even had to steady us a few times. 

“I think they’ve gone,” he whispered in my ear. “I’m going to fly down now.”

I nodded weakly, slipping my hands up to wind around his neck. 

But nothing could have prepared me for Callum stepping off the branch into thin air, and plummeting down. 

My scream was thankfully drowned out by thunder booming and echoing around us. 

One of his hands disappeared from my back, and I panicked for a second before it reappeared on my thigh, tugging it up to hook around his hips. I got the message and wrapped my legs around his waist tightly.

I could hear the wind howling in my ears as we fell, spearing towards the ground. But slowly, I could feel us straightening and gliding, but we were still going fast. 

I felt Callum bank, and suddenly we weren’t moving anymore and he was standing on solid ground. 

I slowly untangled myself from him, stepping back and almost falling down in the process. I could still feel my heart in my throat and  _ thank god I was on solid ground again _ . 

“You okay? You don’t look so good,” Callum asked tentatively, touching his hand to my shoulder as I hunched over. 

“I believe… that I left the boat… to go on… a relaxing walk, ” I mumbled, glaring at him. 

“Sorry about that.” He smiled sheepishly. “But hey, at least it was a great view from that tree.”

“It’s been an hour and the wind is dying down. We should get back to the boat,” I said through gritted teeth as I tried to swallow the lump in my throat. 

Callum’s face fell as he nodded. “Okay.”

When we could see the boat at the dock, I sighed in relief. We would be back on track, getting Zym to his mother. 

“Hey…” Callum started, but his voice died down. “Nevermind.”

“Callum. What’s wrong?” I asked him, frowning in concern. 

“I just… are you mad at me?” He asked quickly. 

“Why would I be mad at you?”

“You know. The whole flying thing,” he said, unable to meet my eyes. 

“Of course not,” I reassured him. “You were just getting us out of the way of some humans - you did nothing wrong. It may have been… an unpleasant experience, but it would’ve been a lot worse without your quick thinking.” 

He was surprised, his lips parting slightly. 

_ I wonder what his lips against mine would feel like.  _

The thought rose to the forefront of my mind, and I felt my face burn. 

_ What the hell?! Where did that come from?! _

“Thanks,” Callum said, smiling again. “I’m glad you're not mad at me.”

It was late at night, and I was with Villads as he steered the ship towards the other side of the bay. Tonight, there were almost no clouds. The stars and moon were shining brightly, and the water reflected the lights in shimmering waves. 

“Something botherin’ ya?” He asked, and I shook my head before realising that he couldn’t see it. 

“Not really,” I said, watching the water as we cut through it. 

“Are ya sure? Ya seem like yer… broodin’. All quiet and thinkin’.” He observed. 

“I’m fine. Just thinking,” I replied, sitting on the stairs and looking up to the sky. 

“Like I said. Broodin’.” 

I sighed. “Maybe you’re right.”

“Watcha thinkin’ about?” 

“I… I don’t know if I want to say.” 

“Ya don’t have ta say anythin’ ya don’t want,” he told me. 

We stayed in silence like that for a while. I was thinking, pulling apart that sentence that I had uttered in my mind, wondering what it could mean. 

_ I wonder what his lips against mine would feel like.  _

“Rayla?” I heard a small voice, and I sat up. 

“Hey Ez. What’s up?” I asked my brother, who was holding Zym like a teddy bear. 

I wondered what had happened to Bait being Ezran’s snuggle buddy, but shrugged the thought away and held my arms out. 

Ez gladly settled in my lap. “I had a nightmare.” Zym whimpered in agreement, sleepily nuzzling my brother’s arm. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” I asked, resting my chin on his head. 

“I was riding on a pink hippo, and it was made of taffy. I took a bite out of its ear, and it was delicious.”

I chuckled. “Sounds like a pretty good dream to me.”

“But then that baker who doesn’t like me -“

“Barius-“ I corrected. 

“Barius - he told me that I wasn’t allowed to eat animals, even if they were made out of candy! But I couldn’t stop eating the hippo, it tasted too good!” Ezran said unhappily. “And then once I was done, Barius went to arrest me for crimes against taffy hippos! And he took me to the bakery, where there was a tray of fresh jelly tarts on the counter - and he said that as my punishment, they were going to eat  _ me! _ ”

I laughed, and Ezran pulled his head back to pout at me. 

“I’m sorry, that just sounds like a weird dream. You’re probably just having withdrawals from jelly tarts,” I teased, poking his stomach. 

“I didn’t eat that many!” Ezran protested. 

“Now that’s a lie,” I muttered. 

“Okay, maybe a few,” he giggled. 

“Exactly,” I said, before dancing my fingers across his sides and ribs, tickling him mercilessly. 

“Rayla! Stop!” He managed between peals of bright laughter, which was encouraging if anything. Zym bounded out of his lap, watching with amusement. 

“Only when you admit that you’re addicted to jelly tarts!” I cried, grinning as he squirmed and giggled. 

“Never!” He yelled, earning himself another round of tickles. 

“Come on, Ezran!” I shouted gleefully - I knew all of his ticklish spots. He wouldn’t win this. 

“Fine! Fine!” He breathed, and I paused my attack. 

“What was that?” I asked, and he groaned. 

“I’m addicted to jelly tarts,” he muttered in defeat. 

“Thank you,” I said, grinning as he adjusted his position in my lap so he was comfortable again. 

“Are you happy now?” He grumbled. 

“Very,” I said, hugging his small form to me. 

“Hey… I heard someone yelling,” Callum mumbled, rubbing his eyes and walking out of the small cabin - we must’ve woken him up. 

“Sorry about that. Rayla was torturing me,” Ezran muttered, and I laughed. 

“Why don’t you join us?” I offered to Callum, patting the spot next to me. 

“Sure. Why not.” Callum smiled and took a seat next to me, his wing curving around us to protect us from the night chill. 

We stayed like that for a good portion of the night, enjoying the calm peace together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> seriously i love you guys i know i don’t say it a whole lot but you make my days amazing


	15. Heart of a Titan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we pass the halfway mark!!!

In the morning, Callum came up to me, grinning. 

“You won’t believe this.” He said, sitting against the railings next to me. 

“What?” I asked, confused. 

“You know how I’m connected to the sky primal?” He asked, and I nodded. “And how humans can’t connect to primals?” Another nod. 

“Well, I think that Captain Villads somehow has access to the sky primal.” He gushed, speaking quickly. 

“Wait, what?” I said with wide eyes. 

“He talks about this connection he has with the air, like he can predict the changes in wind and when storms are coming.” Callum continued. “And I understand what he means too! He doesn’t describe it very well, but then again, arcanums are pretty hard to explain.”

“So… he could be the first human to have a connection.” I murmured. 

“Exactly. But I asked him whether he thinks he has the sky arcanum, and he brushed it off - he doesn’t think he does.”

“That’s… that’s amazing.” I breathed. “This means that any human would be able to do magic.”

“Maybe not  _ any _ human.”

“What?” I asked, turning my head to face Callum. 

“There are some elves that just can’t do spells. They’re connected to the primal, they just don’t have an affinity for magic.”

I frowned. “I guess I can’t see Villads doing magic.”

Callum hummed his agreement, and when I looked over at him, his eyes were closed. 

“Are you seriously falling asleep?” I teased, nudging him with my elbow. 

“Well, now that I’ve said what I wanted to say, I’m really tired. I didn’t get much sleep last night, you know. Stargazing with you and Ez.” He mumbled, smiling lazily. 

The corners of my mouth tugged upwards as well. “Last night was great.”

“Mhm.” Callum agreed, and next thing I knew, his head was resting on my shoulder and small snores were escaping from his mouth. 

I felt a blush creep up my cheeks, and Ezran only made it ten times worse. 

He woke up from his own nap and when he saw me and Callum… an evil grin spread across his face. 

“Ezran. Don’t say a word.” I muttered, but then Callum’s arm shifted and slung around my waist. 

He was cuddling me in his sleep. 

My cheeks burned, and Ezran gave me a cheeky smirk before walking off, cackling. 

I finally managed to slip out of Callum’s embrace when he moved his arm in his sleep. Not that I minded being cuddled-

_ Rayla! What is wrong with you! _ I yelled at myself internally. 

I shook my head and went to grab some food from below deck. 

“Has today changed your thoughts on sailing?” Callum asked after finishing his mouthful of slightly-stale bread. “It’s been calm, peaceful, and slightly breezy. Pretty much perfect weather.”

I thought for a moment. “It’s been alright. A lot different from yesterday.”

Callum chuckled. “Yesterday was a lot of fun new experiences for you.”

I rolled my eyes. “Oh yes. Full of fun, wholesome experiences - like almost falling to my death, boarding a ship, getting stuck in a storm, and watching my best friend get electrocuted. But worst of all… your impersonation of a human.”

“Hey! Human-Callum is an amazing and totally-accurate human disguise!” Callum protested, but he was grinning.

“Sure.” I replied sarcastically, gazing back out at the giant lake. 

“You can’t tell me I was wrong yesterday.” He said. “You humans do love bread, annoying others for fun and doing nothing about your problems.”

“...fine. You’re right about that bit.” I admitted. 

Callum cheered, pumping his fist. “I was right! Can we get that in writing - ‘Rayla agrees that Callum is right about something’?”

“Over my dead body.” I snorted. 

At that precise moment, we hit a wave head-on and the boat tilted nauseatingly to the side. 

I gagged, trying to keep the contents of my stomach - well, in my stomach - as the vessel lurched around and finally settled. 

Callum laughed. “It looks like that could be easily arranged at this point.”

I glared at him. “How dare you threaten me like that.” I announced in an overly dramatic voice. 

Another chuckle. “I wasn’t threatening you. Just saying… you look like you would rather jump off the boat than go another day of sailing. Maybe calm days are too much for you too.”

“He has a point! He has a point!” The parrot squawked from Villads’ shoulder. 

“Great. I have two birds ganging up on me.” I grumbled. 

Callum threw his head back and laughed, loud and hearty. 

It was a beautiful sound that I immediately loved. 

“What did ya say?” Villads asked from the ship’s wheel. 

“Uh…” I was stuck, glancing at Callum frantically. 

“The boy’s an elf! The boy’s an elf!” Berto chanted gleefully. 

Callum spread his wings, turning around to face the frowning captain. His arm went in front of me defensively, ready to grab me and fly away. 

“What are you doing?!” I hissed. 

“If I leave, who knows what he might do to two humans harbouring an elf?” Callum growled back. 

He had a point. Again. 

Villads sighed, and I tensed. 

“I knew thar was somethin’ off about ya, Callum.” He said, stepping away from the wheel and towards us. 

Callum’s arm went around my waist, ready to take off if Villads made one wrong move. 

“Did ya lie abou’ anythin’?” Villads asked, halting his approach. “Have ya lied to me in the past two days?”

“Only once, when Rayla told you that I was human. And, uh, Bait and Zym aren’t dogs.” Callum said, still holding me closely. “Zym is a… he’s a baby dragon, and Bait’s a glowtoad.”

Villads thought for a second. “So apart from that, yer’ve been completely honest with me?”

“Yes.” Callum said calmly, still tightly coiled and prepared to take off. 

Villads grinned, showing off his missing teeth, and clapped Callum’s shoulder. “Then there be no problem!” He shouted. 

“R-really?”

“Aye!” Villads confirmed. 

Callum breathed a sigh of relief and let his hand slip from my side. 

“So I take it yer one of them sky elves?” The captain asked, heading back up to the wheel. 

“Y-yeah. I’m a sky elf.” Callum affirmed, leaning against the railings again. 

“Ah, they be the best kind.” Villads murmured approvingly. 

“Yeah. We’re pretty cool.” Callum grinned at me, becoming more and more relaxed by the second. 

I rolled my eyes. “If you’re the best, I can’t imagine what the other elves are like.”

“Hey!” Callum protested, and Villads roared with laughter. 

I sighed. “You know I’m kidding.”

The elf nudged my elbow with his. “Yeah, I know. But it’s still nice to hear that you know I’m your favourite elf.”

I choked. “Uh, when did I say you were my favourite elf?”

“It was implied.” Callum was clearly enjoying this conversation. “I’m the only elf you’ve met.”

“And how do you know that?” I asked, raising a brow. 

“You’re not saying…”

“Yup.”

Callum gasped. “You’ve been cheating on me? I feel betrayed - I was supposed to be the only elf in your life!”

I snorted, playing along. “Yep. I’ve been catching up with another elf right under your nose. And they’re not a skywing. They’re even cooler.”

Callum gasped dramatically again. “No! Not a… tidebound elf!”

“Even better.” I said smugly. “A sunfire. But it’s also nice to know that you consider tidebound elves to be cooler than skywing elves.”

“I fell right into your trap.” Callum grumbled, but the way his eyes sparkled told me that he was enjoying this just as much as I was. 

“Would you guys just kiss already?!” Ezran called from the mast, and I froze up. 

My face was definitely deep red, and I couldn’t even glance at Callum to see if he was the same. 

“Ezran! What the hell?” I yelled, unable to look even in the general direction of Callum as I folded my arms. 

“He’s got a point!” Berto announced loudly. 

“Will you _shut_ _up_?!” I snapped at the parrot. 

“I, uh, have to go get my book.” Callum mumbled awkwardly, escaping the situation. 

I sighed, burying my face in my hands. 

“Ezran. What the actual  _ hell _ was that?” I growled. 

“Ugh. I thought you and Soren were bad, but you and Callum? The romantic tension is thick enough to cut with a knife.” Ezran replied. 

“Firstly -  _ there is no romantic tension _ .” I hissed. “Secondly - how do you even know what that is?” I asked exasperatedly. 

“I read a book,” he answered simply. 

I sighed again and leant my head back against the railings. 

Welp. That just ruined the nice friendship I had with Callum. 

Later that day, I was sitting next to Ezran as he played with Zym and Bait when Villads walked up to the bow of the boat. 

“I smell land!” He announced, and Berto cawed in agreement. 

“Finally,” I muttered, seeing the shore in the distance. 

But a shadow passed over us - and it wasn’t a cloud. No, it was high up in the clouds, soaring above us. 

“Uh… what was that?” Ezran asked, pointing to the sky. 

“Errr, what was what?” Villads was confused. “Yer askin’ the wrong pirate.”

“There’s something up there,” Callum murmured. 

And it looked suspiciously like a dragon. 

“Hey. We’re almost at shore,” Callum said a few minutes later, nudging my elbow. “Then we won’t have to even look at a boat for the rest of the journey.”

Thank the gods Callum seemed to have forgotten about Ezran’s little  _ comment _ earlier. 

I sighed happily. “Thank the gods. Sweet, sweet land.”

He laughed. “Hopefully no flying either.” 

“Yes. Please, no more frantic flying,” I agreed quickly. 

Another chuckle. 

I turned my head to look at him, a comfortable silence settling around us. He was smiling at me, his beautiful green eyes shining happily. 

In that moment, everything fell into place. Why I felt more comfortable around Callum than I ever had with Claudia and Soren. Why I was trying to spend more time with him, and preferably alone. Why I had completely flipped out when I thought that he had died. 

I liked him. A lot. 

It felt like the air had been stolen out of my lungs, like the realisation had actually winded me. I froze up, forcing myself to not react. 

Because now that I had actually acknowledged my feelings, I could feel myself falling for Callum. Like there was now a little hollow where my heart once was, and he had stolen it. 

“Hey, you alright?” Callum asked, concerned. 

The boat lurched, and I was thrown into the elf suddenly. He caught me, holding me close to him until we were steady again. 

“Yeah, I’m- I’m okay,” I stammered, unsure of where to put my hands. “Just the boat. But I’m fine.”

“Good. We wouldn’t want you getting sick just when we’re about to land,” he said, and when I looked up to see his face he was grinning at me.

His bright smile stole the air from my lungs. 

Yeah. I was a goner. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pfffffft can you tell I can’t physically restrain myself from writing rayllum for this long


	16. Fire and Fury

Our goodbyes to Villads were genuine and sad, and he echoed them. 

“Aye, I’ll miss you lot!” He yelled, sniffing loudly. 

“We’ll miss you too! It was a pleasure meeting you,” I said, only just reminding myself not to wave. 

It was hard, getting used to a blind person. 

So we travelled across the forest for another hour or two before it got dark. 

We found a ledge to rest in for the time being, and prepare for the last leg of our journey to Xadia. 

From here on, we were in Xadian territory. 

It was late at night when I woke up and saw Rayla sitting on the edge of the cliff outside the cave. 

“Hey… why are you out here?” I asked, sitting next to her. 

She jumped slightly with my arrival, then sighed. “I’m just thinking.”

“About what?” I pushed. 

Another sigh. “About what comes next. After we return Zym… what happens then?”

“Well, we would be heroes. Probably end the war,” I mused. “There would be peace across the continent.”

“No- what happens to  _ us _ ?” Rayla said. “I… I don’t want to never see you again.”

I blinked. “Oh.”

“Yeah.” Rayla was shying away from me, unable to meet my eyes. 

“Don’t worry. I won't let that happen - you’re my best friend. Of course I’ll try and visit Katolis.”

Rayla nodded. “Good. Otherwise I would kick your ass.”

I laughed at that. “I have no doubt you would.”

She snickered, and I couldn’t stop the smile that spread across my face. 

She looked up at me, her lilac eyes shining with happiness. The air was charged with something again, and… and I had the urge to kiss her. 

She almost looked like she wanted to kiss me too, but only for a split second before she pulled away. Leaving me to wonder if I had imagined it. 

“Come on. Let’s get some rest,” I murmured, getting up and holding my hand out for her. She hesitated before taking it, which was new. 

I also didn’t miss the faint colour dusting her cheeks. 

It was early morning when a roar sounded through the valley. 

I jolted awake, sitting up and scanning the forest in front of us. 

“What? What was that?” Rayla asked, reaching for her sword. 

“That… was not a good sound,” I muttered, getting up and running down the path into our cave. Rayla quickly followed, and so did Ez. 

There was a bright light in the valley. A stream of fire torching the small town we had passed on the way were. 

The dragon was burning the town to the ground. 

“What the hell is it doing?!” Rayla shouted. 

“It’s attacking the town,” Ezran murmured. 

“No kidding!” Rayla snapped, then she faced me. “But why?”

“I don’t know,” I murmured, watching as the dragon circled back to pass over the village a second time. 

Next to go was the tower that guards were manning - the force of the fire erupting from its mouth actually caused a side to collapse and crumble to the ground like it was made of dirt. 

We could only watch, horrified, as the town was destroyed and the screams of the people drifted to our ears. 

But then, a ballista fired. Not an ordinary one - this bolt was glowing a bright purple. 

Dark magic. It had to be. 

The bolt missed the dragon, but then it twisted around and homed in on it’s target. 

But the dragon got one last shot in, causing the top of the tower to fall to the ground in a mess of rubble. 

The bolt finally caught up, and despite the dragon’s efforts to dodge it, it impaled itself in the beast’s side. 

It let out a booming roar, struggling to keep itself in the air. 

“They hit it!” I cried, stumbling forward. 

The dragon swerved around, gliding towards us. It probably didn’t even see us - but it didn’t matter. 

I could see the bright blue eyes of the dragon before I realised that it was about to smash into us. 

But Rayla regained her wits a second faster, and shoved us to the ground. “Get down!” She shouted, just as the dragon swooped low over us. 

I scrambled back up and watched as it careened into the forest and skidded along the ground, disappearing from my sight. 

I went to run after the dragon, before realising that Ezran was already on the ground below us and rushing through the forest. 

“Ezran!” Rayla shouted, but he didn’t come back. Leaving us no choice but to follow. 

The sun was rising when we found it. 

_ Her _ , I thought. She was close enough for me to know that it was a her. 

We froze when we saw her - laying motionless, eyes closed, and no sign of breathing. 

“Is it… dead?” Rayla asked quietly. 

“Is  _ she _ dead,” I corrected her, but didn’t take my eyes off the giant red dragon in front of us. 

Ezran stepped forward cautiously, approaching the magnificent creature. He laid a hand on her snout, closing his eyes and breathing deeply. 

The dragon’s eyes opened slowly, rolling forward to look at Ezran. She growled softly at Ez - but it wasn’t a warning sound. It was a sound of sadness and pain. 

Ezran gasped and opened his own eyes at the sound, but didn’t pull away. In fact, as the dragon rumbled again - the sound almost like purring - he stroked her snout reassuringly. 

“You’re in pain - but don’t worry. We can help you,” Ezran told the dragon, hugging her head. 

He got up and walked over to her side, and peered under her massive wing. 

“There. Beneath her wing,” he told us, pointing to the bolt still stuck in the dragon’s side. 

We worked to lift the wing up, and Ezran darted underneath to wrench the ballista bolt out from between her scales. 

The dragon growled softly in pain, then fell limp again. 

Then, we heard horses whinny. Close to us. 

“Come on,” Rayla insisted, grabbing my arm and tugging me away. 

“I… I can’t just leave her there,” I protested, not budging. 

“Callum. Let’s  _ go _ .” She yanked on my arm again, and I reluctantly let her drag me away. 

“Zym! Zym, are you okay?” Ezran called, running into the cave. 

The little dragon’s head popped up above a rock, and he bounded towards Ez happily. 

It reminded me of another dragon that… that was about to die. 

I stared off into the distance, where the dragon would be laying on the ground, helpless. 

“Hey. Callum. You couldn’t have done anything else,” Rayla murmured, touching my shoulder. 

“I could've stayed. She’s defenseless there, just waiting for the humans to finish her,” I muttered. 

“We need to get Zym back to Xadia,” she reasoned.

“You guys could go along, and I would stay back. I could do it.”

“No!” Rayla shouted. “No, you’re not going to risk your stupid life because of a dragon who  _ burned a town _ ! It killed  _ so _ many people - and I’m not letting it take you too!”

I was startled by her intensity, but then I was reminded of the living being I was letting die. 

“I can’t just stand by and watch something  _ die _ ! I have to break the cycle!”

“What are you on about?!” Rayla yelled. 

“If one person hurts another, then they retaliate - it becomes a cycle! One that never ends,” I told her. “Someone has to break the cycle, to stop the bloodshed and fighting and hurt. If they kill that dragon, someone in Xadia is going to come back with a vengeance. And then once they’ve exacted their revenge, the human kingdoms will fight back - because they attacked their soldiers.

“This is more than just the dragon. It’s about ending the vicious cycle that will only hurt more people, and take more lives,” I muttered. “So I  _ have _ to go down there.”

Rayla looked stunned by my speech. Giving me the opportunity to throw my sketchbook and satchel off my shoulders, and leap off the cliff to soar over the treetops to the dragon. 

Rayla:

I sat down on a rock, watching the forest. 

I couldn’t believe he just  _ left _ . 

My foot tapped a fast rhythm on the ground, and my fingers drummed against my cheek. 

“Come on, where is he?” I muttered. 

“It’s only been ten minutes,” Ezran said. “He’ll be gone for a while.”

I waited another thirty seconds - but I couldn’t take it. I had to go down there and help him, and make sure he was okay. 

I sprinted towards the shouts of men and clanking of chains, drawing my sword. The trees loomed over me, their branches whipping my face as I rushed past them. 

The shouts got louder and louder, accompanied with the tell-tale boom of thunder. 

I saw a flash of blinding light through the vegetation, and my pace increased in desperation. 

_Please_ _be_ _okay_. 

I bursted into a clearing - soldiers surrounding a dragon in chains, Callum on top of it, his hands crackling with lightning. 

His gaze immediately snapped to me, and it faltered. 

Soren - Soren was here? - took the opportunity to charge the elf, and Claudia started chanting something backward and deformed. 

Callum cast a spell towards Soren - electricity arching off his fingers and latching onto Soren’s sword, the knight collapsing. The elf’s gaze flicked up to Claudia - he knew he was too late to do anything about the shadow tentacles rising out of the ground at her command. 

I watched, stunned, as he placed his hands on the chains and muttered something under his breath. The metal links glowed a bright blue, before freezing over completely. 

As the chains started to snap and fall to pieces, Claudia threw out her hand at Callum, and one of the dark magic tendrils darted forwards to wrap around his waist. 

I finally recovered my senses and rushed forwards, intending to knock Claudia over. I was blocked by a tentacle, rippling in front of me. I drew my sword and slashed through the shadow, and the one holding Callum dropped him abruptly to face me (face me? Whatever - it’s attention was focused on me).

“Princess Rayla?” I heard - one of the guards recognised me. 

“Rayla! No!” Claudia yelled, trying to reign in the tendrils, but they loomed above me menacingly. “They’re trying to protect me-“ 

I held up my sword, but one lashed out and grabbed my hand - and another emerged, pressing it’s tip to my forehead. 

“No! Stop-  _ stop _ !” Claudia screamed as I collapsed onto my knees. The energy was drained out of me, quickly disappearing. I vaguely felt my sword drop out of my hand and clatter on the ground. 

“Rayla!” I heard someone bellow, and then the sensation of a tendril around my wrist and against my head melted away - and Claudia cried out in pain. I heard a roar, and guards shouting. 

Too much noise. My heard hurts. 

Hm. I can’t feel my legs. Or my hands. It’s a weird feeling. 

But my head hurts, it’s pounding. Lots. 

I can feel the ground under me. My face is pressing into the dirt. So is my stomach. I can taste the dirt. Not nice. 

I can hear Callum - he’s yelling something - tailor? Why is he asking for a tailor?

But then I realise it’s my name -  _ Rayla _ ,  _ Rayla _ \- and my heart is aching. More than my head now. 

I see him. He’s kneeling in front of me. Shaking my shoulders. Ow. 

Ah, nothing. Finally, sweet relief as nothingness slips over me. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I tried something a little different with the barely-conscious Rayla part at the end, I’d love some feedback on how it was :)


	17. The Book of Destiny

The guards occupied by the dragon, I rushed to Rayla. She was slumped forwards, her eyes glassy and unfocused. 

“Rayla!” I shouted, again and again. Her eyes looked at me - actually  _ looked _ at me - once, before fluttering closed. 

I picked up Rayla, and glanced back towards the clearing. 

The dragon had risen, towering over the humans. Soren approached it, only for the dragon to whip its tail around and smash into Soren’s torso and flung him into a rock. 

I  _ felt  _ his back crunch as it hit the boulder. 

Claudia stormed towards us, but Soren called out. 

“C-Claudia. Help,” he choked weakly, not getting up. 

Her eyes flicked between me, Rayla and Soren. 

But she made her choice, and rushed to Soren’s side. 

And I ran, ran as far as I could go. 

At one point, after it started pouring with rain, Rayla started muttering, and I glanced at her face, full of hope. 

But she was still unconscious. 

“Rayla. Please, wake up.” I murmured, and her face relaxed a bit. 

“Mmmm, Cally.” She smiled deliriously, tucking her face into my neck, and I sighed, trudging onward through the mud. 

“Why did you do that?” I spoke to myself, not expecting a response. 

“Not gonna... you can’t get hurt.” She mumbled. 

I was surprised that she gave a an answer in her state, but then smiled fondly at her. “I knew you liked me.”

“Mhm.” She hummed, content. Thunder boomed and crackled nearby, and she didn’t even flinch. So she was  _ not _ awake. 

Was she seriously more open about her feelings when unconscious than not?

I swallowed nervously. I had one burning question I had to ask... but I didn’t know if I had the guts to ask it.

A test first.

“Hey.” I said as gently as I could. “Who is your best friend?”

“Cally. You.” She mumbled simply. Then she giggled a little. “I like you a  _ lot _ .”

I steeled my nerves, staring straight ahead. 

“Like as in...  _ like _ like?” I dared to ask. Surely I couldn’t be the only one who was feeling these sparks whenever we were talking, whenever we were alone. 

After the journey on Villads’ ship… I couldn’t be the only one who felt this way. 

“Mmmmm...” Rayla frowned, and her grip loosened on my vest. 

“Rayla?” I asked, desperate for an answer. Even though I knew how crushed I would be if she said no...

But when I glanced at her face again, she was deep under. Too deep to hear me.

“Oh no, no, no - Rayla!” Ezran yelled, rushing up to us as I walked through the forest to the cave.

“She’s not conscious. We have to get her back to the cave,” I muttered, pushing through the howling wind and heavy rain. 

“O-okay,” Ezran agreed, following me.   
  


“She got hit with dark magic.” I told him, laying her down on the ground and wrapping a small rock in the cloak for a pillow. 

“The dragon...?” Ez dared to ask, and I nodded. 

“She’s okay. She got away from the humans.” I confirmed. 

Ez curled up next to Rayla, leaving me alone with my thoughts about the recklessly brave human. 

“Why are you so... selfless?” I asked her, knowing she wouldn’t say anything back. I was sitting next to her, gazing out at the thick woods below us. 

I still hoped she would reply. Get up and punch my shoulder light-heartedly, or make a teasing comment that we both knew she didn’t mean. 

But she didn’t. When I glanced down at her for a second, she was still out cold, frowning just the slightest. 

I sighed and saw a silvery strand falling across her face. I reached out and tucked it behind her ear. Her weird, round ear. 

Who was I fooling. It wasn’t weird. Everything about her was flawless and beautiful. 

I buried my face in my hands. “You’re in trouble now. Of course you would fall for a human.” I mumbled to myself.

And I was falling  _ hard _ . 

As the rain died down, Rayla started shifting around on the ground. 

But when I rushed to her side… she wasn’t awake. I sighed, leaning back against the jagged rock. My wings curled around myself, and I had the urge to go for a flight. 

It was a stupid idea. Humans were patrolling these woods relentlessly. But I had to get some fresh air, some space. And time alone. 

I stood, shaking my wings out. I was ready to jump off the ledge when I heard a small voice behind me. 

“Callum?”

Cringing, I turned around. I forgot about Ezran. 

“Sorry, Ez. I almost forgot to tell you I was going for a quick flight,” I told him, and he nodded. 

“Be back soon,” he mumbled, before curling around Zym again. 

The crisp air was amazing. I had flown up to the tip of the mountain, and was now circling around in the still-heavy clouds. 

The feeling of the air charged, ready to roll into a storm with a clap of thunder… it was indescribable. 

Up here, there were no messy thoughts about Xadia, dark magic, humans, and one particular human. Just me, and the sky. 

I spun around, alternating between soaring into the open sky above the clouds and diving down until my nose was almost brushing the snow. 

I took a deep breath in, just  _ feeling _ . The air currents around me, the clouds calming slowly, the birds circling around the mountain with me. They understood what it was like up here. 

_ I wonder if Rayla will ever appreciate flying. _

I shook all Rayla-related thoughts away and swooped down, landing softly on the tallest point of the mountain. The view was incredible… forest for miles. Distantly, the lake was visible. 

_ “Will you two just kiss already?” _

Of all the memories from the lake, that one stuck with me the most. It implied that Ezran thought that I liked Rayla, and more importantly, that he thought she liked me. 

Meaning… I could actually have a small chance with her. A tiny, minuscule chance - but a chance nonetheless. 

I continued my scan of the surrounding area. 

Beyond the forest, the Breach. A river of fire and lava, separating the two lands. And then it would be a journey through home territory. 

I could even see the hints of vegetation on the other side of the border. 

We were so close. A few hours of walking, and we would make it. 

But… we had to wait for Rayla. We were  _ not _ leaving her behind. However long it might take for her to get better. 

Speaking of the humans… I probably needed to get back to them. Make sure that they were still okay. 

As I examined Rayla’s pale face, I realised something. Well, two things. 

First thing - she wasn’t  _ sick, _ she was just… unconscious. Like she had no energy left in her, and the dark magic creature had sapped it all out of her. She had tried to hold on when I had been carrying her to the ledge, but then she had slipped under. 

I was going to have strong words with Claudia next time I saw her. 

Second thing… being unconscious did not change the fact that she was incredibly beautiful . 

A small thud on the ground behind me interrupted my thoughts. My ears twitched - and I heard the clink of a chain. 

I whirled around, coming face to face with the chain man from earlier. 

He glanced at Rayla, and his face twisted in anger. 

“What have you done to the princess?!” He yelled, swinging his grappling hook in menacing circles as he advanced. 

“Nothing! I did nothing! This was a dark mage!” I protested, shifting to defend Rayla. 

“What do you mean ‘a dark mage’?” He hesitated. 

“She got hit by a spell trying to save a dragon,” Ezran explained, stepping out from behind the rocks. 

“Ezran- what are you doing?” I hissed, extending my wing to cover the small human. 

But he pushed my wing away. “Callum did nothing. He’s my friend. And Rayla’s. Please, don’t hurt him,” he pleaded, looking up at the man with puppy-eyes. 

The man blinked, then dropped his chains. “I see. Your wish is my command.”

“Wait- that actually worked?” Ezran frowned, confused. “I didn’t expect that to work.”

“What do you mean ‘your wish is my command’? He’s a child, and one you’ve never met,” I pointed out. 

“My name is Corvus.” Corvus dropped on one knee, bowing before Ezran. “I serve the king.”

“Oh, did dad send you?” Ezran asked excitedly, and I stiffened. 

Oh no. 

“General Amaya sent me. I serve  _ you _ , King Ezran,” Corvus clarified. 

“No, there has to be a mistake,” Ezran mumbled, stumbling backwards. 

“I’m afraid not, my king.” The hunter stood. “My deepest apologies.”

I stepped towards Ezran, reaching out tentatively. “Ezran…”

“No! No, no, no!” He ran away from me, to the entrance of the ledge. 

“It’s going to be okay,” I murmured, unable to meet his eyes. 

“You  _ knew?!” _ He exclaimed, looking angry. 

“I’m so sorry-“

He covered his face with his hands, muffling a small sob. “Rayla… does she know yet?” He asked, glancing towards his sister. 

“Yes. She does.” I murmured. 

He took a deep breath, before storming away. “I’m going for a walk.”

“King Ezran- that’s dangerous-“ Corvus stammered, but Ezran glared at him. 

“I’m the king, right? You listen to me,  _ right?! _ I  _ order _ you to let me go!” Ezran said firmly, and Corvus had no choice but to bow as the prince- no,  _ king.  _ He was a  _ king  _ now. 

So Corvus had to let Ezran walk away. 

I opened my mouth to speak, but I saw Ezran wiping tears away and I shut it. 

Corvus paced back and forth, stopping occasionally. But mostly just walking. 

“The king is missing,” he declared after half an hour. 

“He’s not missing,” I mumbled, wrapping my wings tighter around myself. 

“We don’t know where he is!” 

“He’s just gone for a walk. He’ll be fine.”

“We need to find him! He could get into trouble, or danger - or both!” Corvus yelled. 

“Fine then! Go find him!” I shouted back. 

The hunter looked taken aback. 

“I’m sorry,” I muttered. “It’s just been a stressful day. Scratch that, stressful month.”

Corvus sighed. “It’s okay. I understand.”

“So, are you going to find him?” I asked. 

“Yes. I will return with the king, safe and sound! You have my word!” He announced, before running off into the forest. 

“Ooo, I have his ‘word’,” I grumbled to no one in particular, shuffling closer to Rayla. 

“I… I have terrible news,” Corvus told me, and I looked up. 

“What is it? And, uh, where’s Ez?” I asked, confused. 

“His trail - it ends. But it ends badly - his footprints are replaced by banther tracks.”

“So?” I raised an eyebrow, waiting for the news. 

“It means that King Ezran was eaten by a banther!” Corvus exclaimed.

I snorted and rolled my eyes. 

“What?! I thought he was your friend - why aren’t you… freaking out?” Corvus yelled.

Nexus. What was with this guy and yelling?

“Ezran can talk to animals. If his tracks have been replaced by banther ones, it means he’s caught a ride  _ on _ the banther. Not  _ in _ the banther,” I told him, amused. 

“Excuse me?”

“Go on. Track the banther. Then you’ll find Ez,” I said, taking my place next to Rayla again. 

Once he left, I studied Rayla’s face. It was… considerably less pale. She was getting better. 

“About time,” I muttered, but I was smiling softly. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So close to season three!!!!


	18. Breathe

“Hello?”

I walked around the endless library, peering around bookshelves and display cases. 

Was I really alone?

“Anyone? Hello?” I called again, jogging around a case of scrolls. 

“Rayla.”

I whirled around to see Claudia, standing a few metres away. 

“Oh, Claudia, it’s so good to see you. Where are we?” I smiled, running up to her. 

_ “Is _ it good to see me?” She asked, examining her nails.

“Of course. You’re one of my best friends,” I frowned at her, confused. 

“Rayla… you left me. Betrayed me,” she said bitterly. “That’s not what friends do to each other.”

I… I did, didn’t I? I sided against her with Callum. 

But then again, she had been trying to kill a dragon. I could faintly remember her changing a spell as she crushed something in her hand, while her eyes glowed… but the memories were hazy. 

“You were killing a dragon. I couldn’t let that happen,” I told her, and she rolled her eyes and finally looked up at me. 

“So you chose a dragon. Over me.” She laughed without humour, and then her mouth twisted in disgust. “How could you?!”

“I  _ had _ to!” I said firmly. 

“But  _ why?!  _ We were happy, everything was simple!” She yelled. “We could’ve gone back to Katolis, and it would all be back how it was! So  _ why did you betray me?!” _

“ _ It was the right thing to do!” _ I shouted, and I felt the library falling away. 

Claudia’s expression shifted, and she looked… sad. 

“Rayla… you could’ve stayed with us,” she murmured. 

“I couldn’t. It wasn’t  _ right,” _ I muttered, unable to meet her gaze. I hated that I had to leave her, but I couldn’t let her do these things. I couldn’t stand by as she hunted dragons and elves, and pretended that nothing was wrong. 

Then I was falling, the ground disappearing beneath my feet, falling into nothingness.

“Rayla! There you are!”

I looked up - I was kneeling in some sort of sunny field. An empty field, with no one around. No trees for miles, just soft grass surrounding me. A gentle sun ahead - it was noon, wherever this place was. 

“Hey,” they murmured, from wherever they were. 

The voice was familiar. 

Then a four fingered hand was in front of my face, and I finally saw who it was. 

“Callum - what’s happening?” I asked, letting him help me up. 

“What do you mean?” He asked, confused. 

“Where are we?” I pressed. 

“It doesn’t matter  _ where _ we are,” he said. “Just that we’re here, together.”

Did he mean… no. Surely not. He didn’t mean that we were  _ together.  _

“Hey, what are you thinking about?” He brushed a strand of hair from my face, smiling softly. 

“N-nothing,” I stammered. He was still holding my hand. 

“Oh, come on. You’re thinking about  _ something.  _ I can see it written all over your face.” He grinned at me, guiding me to sit in the grass before taking a seat next to me. 

A flock of birds flew overhead, chirping and calling to each other. 

“I miss Claudia and Soren,” I murmured. “I miss the old them, the innocent and happy them.”

“I know what you mean,” Callum agreed, leaning back on his hands. “Do you wish you that you could go back?”

“No,” I replied. And I meant it, too. 

“And why is that?” He asked, eyes twinkling happily as he turned his head to face me. 

Our faces were so close, I could feel his breath brushing my nose and lips. 

“Firstly, I wouldn’t have a chance at stopping the war,” I breathed. “And I would be living my boring, stuck-up life.”

“Anything else?” Callum smiled mischievously, his gaze flicking down to my lips briefly. 

“Well, I wouldn’t have met you. That’s a dealbreaker,” I whispered, slipping my arms around his neck in a moment of bravery. 

He was leaning in, my eyes closed-

And I was falling again. 

When I glanced up, I didn’t see Callum. Instead of sitting in the grassy meadow, I was in the Katolis throne room. 

With King Harrow on the throne. 

“Harrow,” I breathed, stumbling up onto my feet and to the head of the room. 

“Rayla,” he murmured, but before I could rush up to the throne, two guards blocked my path with spears. 

They weren’t guards. Just empty suits of armour. 

“Harrow? I don’t know- oh gods, what’s happening? I don’t know what to do and-“ I stammered, but he held a hand up. 

“Rayla. It’s okay,” he told me, and I slowed down. 

“I just don’t know what to do. I lost my friends, I left my home… I lost  _ you,” _ I finished, sinking to my knees. 

“Let me tell you a lie, a wish and a secret,” he said. 

“A… what?”

I was confused, but I listened. 

“Advisors and scholars will tell you that history is a narrative of strength. But that is a  _ lie,” _ he said firmly. “They will tell you about great battles and victories, about the rise and fall of empires. They will say that the strength of individuals controls history. But this isn’t true strength - it’s merely power.”

“Then… what  _ is _ true strength?” I asked, trying desperately to keep up.

“Love,” he said with a smile. “Reject history as a narrative of strength, and instead believe it is a narrative of love.”

“O-okay.” I nodded, and he continued. 

“A wish; I wish… that you and Ezran could be free.”

“Free?”

“Yes. Reject the chains of history. Don’t let the past control your future,” Harrow told me. “Learn from the past, understand it, then  _ let it go. _ The past does not shape the future -  _ you _ do.”

“I understand.”

He smiled at me again, but didn’t continue. 

“W-what’s the secret?” I asked, but he shook his head. 

“There’s no more time,” he murmured. “Rayla, I know we’ve never been close. And that was a mistake on my part. But… I love you. And I’m so proud of what you’ve achieved.”

“Harrow?” I called out frantically as the room started to fade and crumble. 

“Just remember that I love you,” he told me, smiling a proud, tender smile, before he was gone too. 

I was left alone, kneeling in emptiness. Darkness. 

“I love you too.”

Callum:

Rayla was still. Barely breathing. 

What had happened?!

“Rayla?! Come on, I need you to wake up!” I shouted, shaking her shoulders. 

She gasped once.

But then she stopped breathing. 

Rayla:

_ They’re gone.  _

_ Claudia hates you, she’s too far gone. You saw the way she almost killed Callum twice without hesitation.  _ You  _ made her change,  _ you _ made her corrupt herself.  _

_ You could’ve stopped the assassins, you could’ve done something. But you  _ let  _ him die. Now Ezran doesn’t have a father, Katolis doesn’t have a king, and the world will crumble.  _

_ Just give up.  _

The voice pulsed in my mind, and I tried to struggle but… it was too hard. The inky depths swirled around me, pulling me under. 

It would be easier to give up. 

I wasn’t helping anybody anyway. I was just ruining everyone’s lives as I touched them. 

I let my eyes slip closed and the waters consume me. 

_ “Rayla?! Come on, I need you to wake up!” _

The voice was muffled and distant, but there. 

I tried to swim to the surface, and I did - gasping once, before being pulled down again. 

The  _ thing _ was wrong. There was still someone. Not everyone was gone. 

_ “Rayla?!? Oh, please, nexus no-“ _

_ No.  _ I wouldn’t give up. 

Ezran, Zym, Lujanne,  _ Callum _ \- they all flashed through my mind, giving me a million reasons to fight. To stay afloat in the sea of darkness. 

I would  _ not _ give up. 

Callum:

Rayla gasped in my arms again, struggling to breathe. 

Her eyes were still closed - she was still asleep. But she was fighting to wake up. 

I racked my brain - surely there was one spell I knew that would help her breathe. Something,  _ anything.  _

But I could think of nothing. 

“Please, please wake up. Don’t leave me like this,” I mumbled into her neck, hugging her to me. 

“You’re too stubborn to let something like a stupid spell get the better of you,” I laughed bitterly, feeling tears gather in my eyes. 

She gasped again, a wheezing, shallow breath. 

Then nothing. She fell limp in my arms. 

“Rayla, I can’t lose you,” I sobbed, cupping her cheeks. “I… I-“

She breathed a full breath in, and her eyes flew open. 

Rayla:

“Oh nexus Rayla if you ever do that again I’m going to  _ leave you behind _ I swear-“ 

The words rushed out of Callum’s mouth as he hugged me tightly. 

“Callum,” I croaked, my voice hoarse and scratchy. 

We stayed like that for a few minutes. Just embracing each other in relief and giddy happiness . Callum eventually handed me a flask from his satchel, and I drank greedily.

“Rayla! You’re awake!”

I turned to see Ezran standing at the edge of the ledge, with… someone. I had no idea who they were. 

I grinned, and Ezran launched himself into my open arms. 

“Hey, Ez,” I murmured into his fluffy hair. 

“Princess Rayla. It’s good to see you awake,” the man said. 

“Uh, thanks. But… who are you?” I asked. 

“This is Corvus. He’s on our side now!” Ez exclaimed happily. 

“I’ve always been on the same side. The side of the king,” Corvus said, and my eyes widened. 

“Oh… Ezran.”

“Yeah. I know about dad,” Ezran mumbled, looking devastated. 

“I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you sooner,” I murmured, hugging him again. 

“It’s okay. I understand,” he told me, his small arms wrapping around me as he started crying softly into my shoulder. 

Callum:

“Okay. Are we ready to leave?” I asked, grinning at Rayla. 

“Yep. All packed,” she confirmed, smiling back. 

“Ez, you ready to go?” I called. 

“About that…” He walked up to us, looking sad. “I can’t go with you guys,” he mumbled. 

“What? Why?” Rayla fell to her knees, eye to eye with the young king. 

“I have to face my responsibility. Now that I’m king… I have to go home,” he told us. “Maybe I can help the world better from a throne.”

“Ezran, we have to return Zym to his mother,” I pleaded. 

“I know. And you guys will do that. But I have to prevent the war, and stop the other kingdoms… I just can’t do it from here. I have to go back.”

He had clearly made up his mind. 

Rayla sighed. “Okay. Stay safe.”

She hugged him tightly, and gestured for me to come over and join in. 

It was a tearful goodbye. 

But we had to start moving. 

Rayla:

“I still can’t believe Ez isn’t with us,” I murmured. 

“I know. It’s… a little hard to take in,” Callum agreed. 

“I’m just glad… that I’ve still got you with me,” I said, and I knew I was blushing. 

“I’m glad I’ve got you too.” Callum’s cheeks were faintly pink, but I couldn’t tell if it was the light from ahead or something else. 

I knew that The Breach was massive, but I wasn’t prepared for a river of  _ lava.  _

“How… how are we going to cross  _ that?”  _ I asked, hugging Zym to my chest. 

“Rayla.” Callum grinned. “I’ll fly us over.”

I groaned, slapping my forehead. “I’m such an idiot.”

Callum rolled his eyes. “It’s okay. Just… hold on tight.”

I held onto his neck as usual, and Zym was sandwiched between us with his head peeking over my shoulder. Callum took a deep in, wound his arms around my waist, and took off. 

If flying above solid ground was scary, then flying across liquid fire was  _ terrifying. _ I pressed my face into Callum’s neck the whole time, not daring to open my eyes. 

Suddenly, I felt my feet touch the ground. 

“We’re here,” Callum murmured into my ear, and I slowly pulled away from him. 

We were on the other side of The Breach. We were in Xadia. 

“We made it,” I breathed. “We’re actually in Xadia.”

I cheered and tackled Callum, throwing my arms around him happily. He laughed and reciprocated without hesitation. 

We actually made it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m really sorry - I know this chapter isn’t great (especially after Rayla wakes up) but it’s like 12 am and I need sleep. I’ve worked on this chapter for like 4 hours T-T  
> But OMG HALLELUJAH SEASON 2 DONE SEASON THREE HERE WE COME HOKE STRETCH GUYS


	19. Sol Regem

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about last chapter, I was a little sleep deprived while writing and posting it, I’ll probably fix it tomorrow.  
> Also in season three there will be pretty much no intentional line-for-line dialogue from the show, which is a massive problem I had in the last seasons
> 
> SEASON THREE HERE WE GO HERE WE GO

I led Rayla through the arch into the canyons, feeling the sun beating down on us. 

And when we rounded the corner, we saw Sol Regem laying down on his ledge. 

“Callum-“ Rayla panicked, pulling me behind a rock. “That is  _ not _ a normal sized dragon!”

“It’s Sol Regem,” I murmured.

“Why is he so  _ big _ ?” Rayla breathed, peeking a glance at Sol Regem, who shook his head to dislodge the birds perching on his crown-like horns. “The other dragon is  _ tiny _ compared to him.”

“He’s an archdragon - and he even used to be the King of the Dragons, until he was blinded by a dark mage.” I pointed to the dragon’s face, which was vulnerable and uncovered by scales. In the place of the plates, it was red, raw flesh - even after all this time, it still never healed. 

“That sounds horrible,” Rayla murmured. 

“It is. Now… he’s bitter and angry, one of the loudest voices against humans. And we’ll have to sneak past him.”

“So he  _ really _ won’t appreciate a human trying to sneak into Xadia.”

“Exactly,” I muttered. 

“Why don’t you just fly us over?” Rayla asked. 

“If we fly past, he would easily be able to snap us out of the air. And Sol Regem knows it like the back of his hand. Er, claw. So I can’t fly us past him and then try to lose him on ground,” I told her, frowning at the dragon. “And if he caught the slightest wind of a human  _ or _ elf trying to sneak past… I don’t need to paint a picture.”

“Could we try… talking to him?” Rayla suggested, and I followed her gaze to Sol Regem’s talons. 

Each claw was the length of my leg. 

“I don’t know if it would work, but we could try.”

The giant dragon’s scales on the underside of his neck started glowing, and he breathed in deeply. 

And when he breathed out, fire spewed out of his maw in a blazing ring around his body, leaving the ground smouldering and scorched. 

“I take it back, talking might not be a good idea,” Rayla whispered, backing into the boulder and holding Zym close to her. 

I tried to stand up from my crouched position, but my foot dislodged a rock and I stumbled, falling to the ground with a yelp. 

Well. If Sol Regem hadn’t heard the pebble skittering along the ground, then he  _ definitely  _ heard the small sound escape my mouth.

I jumped onto my feet - Rayla’s eyes were wide as she pressed herself against the boulder. And Sol Regem was slinking off his perch. 

“ _Who_ _goes_ _there_ ,” he growled, his claws digging into the hard ground with every heavy step towards us. One of his talons pawed at the rock, leaving deep marks effortlessly. 

“No choice now,” I muttered, carefully walking out into the open. 

“Callum!” Rayla whispered furiously, reaching for my wrist. 

I shook my head and gestured for her to stay hidden as I walked up to the archdragon. 

“I am Callum of the Skywings,” I announced, bowing before him and placing my fist over my heart. 

He lowered his head to sniff at my scent, and I paled as I heard a deep snarl rumble from his throat. I bowed deeper as well - more respect couldn’t hurt, right?

“Why did you come from the  _ human _ lands?” His voice was deep and slow, but by no means unintelligent, and I could feel it echoing in my bones. 

“I was part of the team sent to avenge the Dragon King and his only heir,” I told him, keeping my head down. “But I found something in Katolis while I was there.”

“What is it?” The dragon asked, and I dared to raise my head. 

Sol Regem loomed above me, his wings blocking out the sunlight. His mouth, which was pulled into a snarl, was easily large enough to swallow me whole. His talons were just metres away, and  _ nexus _ they were enormous and sharp. 

“I found the egg of the Dragon Prince,” I said. 

“ _ Lies!” _ He roared, swiping his massive claws at the canyon wall, leaving deep gauges as I flinched.

“The heir of the Dragon King was destroyed! The filthy humans  _ smashed _ the egg!” He finished, baring his teeth at me. 

“Wait-I can show you-“ I ran around the rock Rayla was hiding behind and tried to scoop Zym up into my arms, but the dragonling ran away from my hands. Eventually Rayla lurched forwards and caught the prince, sighing as he whimpered. 

I held my hands out, but she didn’t give me the dragonling. 

“Callum-“ Rayla stammered, grabbing the collar of my jacket with her free hand. 

“I’ll be fine. I promise,” I told her quietly, but she didn’t let go. 

I unwound my scarf and slipped it around her neck, adjusting it until it sat perfectly. “Trust me,” I murmured. 

Her hand reached up to mine, which was still on the scarf, and she squeezed it. I saw hesitation flicker in her eyes and her cheeks turn pink, but she darted forward and her lips brushed my cheek. 

“Go,” she told me after pulling away just as fast, shoving the dragonling into my arms before I had a chance to process what had just happened. 

_ Did she just… kiss my cheek? _

But I forced myself to swallow, keep the blush from my face, and walk up to Sol Regem. 

“Azymondias!” I announced, holding the dragonling into the air for the archdragon to smell. “His egg was taken back to Katolis, and we found it in a mage’s keep.”

Sol Regem lowered his head, breathing in Zym’s scent as the tiny dragon let out a quiet, scared whine. 

“Impossible.” The archdragon frowned, his nostrils flaring. 

“We hope to take him back to the Storm Spire, and to the Queen,” I told him, hugging Zym to my chest. 

“You may pass,” he rumbled, before turning his head to the boulder Rayla was behind. “But… not the  _ human  _ who cowers behind you,” he growled, and I almost stumbled back. 

_ No. Not after all this way… I couldn’t lose Rayla.  _

I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I spun around. 

Rayla was smiling sadly. Like she was going to accept it, like she was going to leave too. 

But my resolve steeled, and I faced Sol Regem. 

“No.”

“What did you say?” He snarled. 

“We’ve come all this way, I can’t do this without her. I know you think humans are evil, and some are. But  _ this _ human, Rayla - she’s one of the best people I’ve ever met,” I said, holding Rayla’s hand with my free one. 

My fingers slipped into the gaps between hers, and it felt  _ right.  _ Perfect, even. 

“She’s strong, kind, selfless and brave. She was willing to lose everything to save Azymondias. She doesn’t deserve your prejudice, and she doesn’t deserve to be  _ abandoned _ so close to our goal.” Rayla squeezed my hand, and my heart fluttered. 

_ I’m not leaving you behind.  _

“Please, Mighty Sol Regem, let her come with me,” I finished. “I can’t do this without her. She’s… she’s my best friend.”

Sol Regem thought about it for a moment, before leaning down to inhale Rayla’s scent. 

I held my breath, and Rayla’s grip on my hand tightened considerably. I glanced to the side, and she was stiff and pale as the dragon’s massive teeth got closer to her face. I could practically smell the burnt flesh on his face, and I could certainly smell his breath. 

“ _ I smell dark magic _ !” Sol Regem roared suddenly, rearing his head back in disgust. And then the plates on the underside of his neck started glowing again. 

Glowing with the liquid fire he was about to breathe at us. 

“No- she was  _ hit _ with dark magic!” I yelled, scrambling forwards. “She hates dark magic, and would never do it!”

Sol Regem’s nostrils flared as he considered this. 

“Rayla was attacked by dark magic to save me. To save a fellow dragon! She distracted the mage to allow  _ me _ to get away!”

He didn’t say anything else. 

“She was willing to die to get a dragon to safety. And… she almost did die,” I finished. 

Sol Regem lowered his head again, smelling her. Rayla tensed up, closing her eyes and bracing for the worst. 

“The dark magic… it is concentrated at her head,” he growled. 

“Yes! That’s where she was hit!” I said hastily. 

“Dark magic gathers around the soul. But… her soul is clean of the filthy practice,” the dragon continued. 

Rayla dared to open one eye, and I noticed her hands were shaking. 

“Great Sol Regem,” Rayla started, swallowing thickly, “my brother is the king of Katolis. And we are both working towards banishing dark magic from the human kingdoms.”

Sol Regem took a rumbling breath, his tail swishing behind him. He was thinking about it - we could actually have a chance-

He finally lifted his head and climbed back onto his perch. “You may pass,  _ human _ . And you too, elf. I wish you luck returning the prince.”

I breathed a sigh of relief, but when I glanced at Rayla, her hands were still shaking. 

I took her hand in mine, and guided her out of the towering ravines. Once we were out of Sol Regem’s earshot, I pulled her into a tight hug. 

“We made it. We’re in Xadia, with no scary dragons in our way,” I mumbled, and she laughed breathily. 

“We’re okay,” she murmured into my neck, hugging me back. 

“We’re okay,” I confirmed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> was that a kiss on the cheek? callum.exe is malfunctioning


	20. The Crown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the slight delay, but next chapter will still be up tomorrow :)

“It’s beautiful,” Rayla breathed, taking in the view of the forest around us. 

We were walking on the ground, surrounded by massive trees and roots extending in every direction. Glowing, colourful flowers lined the path, and animals of every sort were curiously studying Rayla. 

“It is,” I agreed. 

Small orbs of light drifted down from the roofed forest, landing on our clothes and on the ground. I turned to look at Rayla… 

She was stunning. Beaming as she took in the nature around her, and the orbs clung to her vest. Making her look like she was glowing. 

She glanced at me, catching me staring, and I quickly focused back on the trail ahead. 

_Thank nexus Rayla is walking behind me, and she can’t see the shade of red my face has to be,_ I thought with a grim smile. 

“Do we have any food?” She asked suddenly. 

“Uhhh… I could find some. I’d have to fly around though,” I told her, feeling my wings flutter in anticipation of a flight. 

“Fine with me. Just…” she pursed her lips, “don’t go too far.”

“Don’t worry,” I reassured her. “I’ll just use a lighting spell if I can’t find you again.”

She rolled her eyes. “Right.”

I chuckled, my wings already stretching out. “Just stay here.”

“I will,” Rayla promised, sitting down on a log. 

I grinned, before beating my wings and soaring off. 

I dipped and weaved between the vines and branches, searching for a fruit bush that I knew would be nearby. 

I wouldn’t dare stray too far - it was too risky to leave Rayla - a _human_ \- alone in elven territory for too long. I prayed to any gods listening that it wouldn’t take long to find the fruit. 

Finally I spotted the bush with fist-sized purple fruit hanging off it. I landed next to the bush and picked several of the fruit, stuffing them into my satchel. 

I couldn’t remember what they were called, but I knew that they tasted zesty and tangy. Which was similar to what a human would eat… right?

I really hoped that Rayla liked them. 

I flew back, relying on my internal compass to find my way back to Rayla. 

I heard her first. 

“What the- _what the hell are these and why do they smell worse than Soren’s socks after training?!”_ She shouted, and I smothered a laugh. 

Ah. She found the fart flowers. 

I calmly landed on a branch, far away enough to not smell Rayla and Zym. And the field of flowers. 

“Callum- thank the gods, I need you to tell me that these aren’t dangerous,” Rayla called, hugging Zym to her and away from the flowers. 

“Nope. They aren’t dangerous, just extremely smelly,” I grinned from my perch, crouching down. “You stumbled upon fart flowers.”

“Can you come down here?” She asked, and I laughed. 

“No _way._ I know what you must smell like right now, and I’d rather not subject myself to that,” I teased. 

Much to my enjoyment, Rayla pouted. 

“Oh, come on. Please can you at least get Zym before he jumps into the flowers again?”

“Nope. I’ll direct you to the nearest stream, and you can wash your clothes, but I’m not getting close to you two,” I sat back on my perch, still grinning at her. 

She sighed. “Did you at least get food?”

“Yep. But you’ll have to wash up before you get any.”

She grumbled, kicking the ground with a boot and accidentally setting off another flower which released a cloud of gas into her face. 

“Ugh- _fine!”_ She spat, gagging at the stench. “Where’s the closest water?”

I flew above her and Zym, scouting the ground for any lakes or rivers. Eventually, I found a large lake with a rocky shore. Pretty much perfect. 

I circled around, seeing Rayla trudging along the ground unhappily. 

“Hey, I found a lake!” I shouted from above, and she paled. 

Shoot. I almost forgot she didn’t like water. 

“Which direction?” She called, looking determined as she hugged Zym. 

_Not letting him get into trouble this time,_ I noted, amused. 

“Slightly to the left. You can’t miss it,” I told her. 

“Can you get a fire started for my clothes? I’ll be… uh, I’m not sure how long I’ll be.” She frowned. “Just do _not_ go to the lake unless it’s an emergency.”

She was blushing furiously, same as I was. 

_Don’t picture it don’t picture it don’t picture it_

“I- uh- I won’t,” I mumbled, before flying to the right - _away_ from the lake. 

I gathered some stray sticks, trying to busy myself. The fire would be easy to start with a small lightning spell, and I could even roast some of the seeds I’d found while getting wood. 

Before long, I was sitting in front of a steady fire, eating some of the fruit I had gathered earlier. 

But peace didn’t last. 

I heard voices and shouting. 

“Oh crap-“ I stomped out my fire, covering it with dirt and leaves, and I bolted. 

My breath was ragged as I ran through the forest, not daring to jump up onto the branches and start flying. It would be _trivially_ easy to shoot me out of the air if they had ranged weapons. 

“Oi! Someone’s made a fire ‘ere!” 

I pushed myself to go faster. 

“An’ it’s recent, too. Get over ‘ere!” 

I couldn’t place the accent, but it wasn’t moonshadow. That was a small mercy - we were nearing the moonshadow villages, and they would _not_ be forgiving if they found a human. 

After a few minutes, I stumbled out of the thick woods and onto the rocky beach of the lake. 

I thanked every god I knew that Rayla was dressed in her slightly-damp clothes. 

“I heard voices!” I told her quickly. “They found my camp, and they’re trying to find us right now.”

“Oh shit,” she muttered. 

“We need to go,” I muttered, grabbing Zym, and starting to jog with Rayla close behind. 

Hours later, after we had stopped and made another camp, Rayla and I huddled close to the fire. 

At least she didn’t smell like toot-lips anymore. 

I breathed in deeply, steadying myself after the stressful afternoon, and immediately wrinkled my nose. 

_I take it back. She still smells a little like fart flower._

“You didn’t even get rid of the smell,” I teased, holding my nose. 

“I did so,” she protested. “Are you sure it’s me?”

“What else would it be?” 

She sighed, glancing around. “Did you try your scarf?”

Oh no. Not my scarf. I loved it to much-

I pulled up the material, sniffing it, and I recoiled. 

“Ugh! No, my scarf! How did you infect it with the fart flower smell?!” I exclaimed, tugging off the fabric and tossing it to the ground a few metres away. 

Rayla laughed, the sound bubbly and beautiful. “It wasn’t me. Maybe Zym got to it?”

I frowned. “Now we have to find more water so I can wash it.”

“Aw, it’s okay. At least _all your clothes and hair_ don’t smell,” Rayla teased. 

I sighed. “Fine. You have a point.”

She laughed again, and shuffled a little closer to me. 

We watched the fire slowly die down, before drifting off into sleep. 

I woke up with Rayla going through my bag. 

“Hey!” I protested, but I didn’t stop her. 

“I just want some more of those things from yesterday,” she muttered, before finally finding the purple fruits. 

Rayla smiled at her success, biting into one happily. 

I couldn’t stop her if I wanted to. She was too adorable, raising an eyebrow at me - daring me to do something about it - as she munched on them. 

“So… you like them?” I asked, and she nodded. 

“They taste like oranges.”

I sighed unhappily, eyeing the sky through the gaps in the leaves ahead. I was reluctant to break the peace but... “We have to get going. We don’t want to be caught by any elves.”

“Wow,” Rayla murmured as she took in the view. 

Green forest unending below the cliff, small mountains and massive trees dotting the landscape. Small bursts of colour were visible from even up here - an orange tree, purple leaves, giant blue mushrooms. 

And, of course, the enormous tree behind us. 

“We have two options to get down,” I told her, rolling my shoulders and flexing my wings. 

“Ummm… okay. What are our options?” She asked, peering down at the considerable drop. 

“Well, I can fly us down,” my wings stretching and fluttering at the mention of a flight, “or we can take the fun route.”

“You know I’m impatient. Just tell me what the ‘fun route’ is,” Rayla complained. 

“The buds on this tree have little ‘wings’ on them that slows our fall. They’re quite large, and we’ll fit on them no problem. So we just use your sword to cut the stem and… we fall safely to the ground,” I explained. 

Rayla looked uneasy. “I don’t think I like either of those options.”

But Zym chirped and nudged the tree with his head, pawing at the bark. 

I laughed. “The Dragon Prince has spoken. Fun route it is!”

“Yay,” Rayla mumbled. 

I stepped forwards, gesturing for Rayla to hold on. She did, reluctantly, and I scooped up Zym and launched us into the air. 

We landed on one of the thick branches, and I searched for a suitable bud. 

I dropped down to one of the massive red buds, motioning for Rayla to follow me. She didn’t look happy about it, but she slid down the stem. 

“Hey… if you don’t want to do this, I can fly us down,” I said gently. 

“I know. I just don’t feel… safe.” She snorted, glancing around us. “That sounds stupid. Nothing about what we’ve done in the last three weeks is ‘safe’.”

“If you fall, I’ll catch you. I promise,” I told her firmly, and she finally looked into my eyes. 

Something in her eyes steeled, and she took a deep breath in. “Alright,” she said with a small smile. 

“Just cut the stem,” I motioned towards the stem, and she drew her sword. 

“Let’s do this,” she muttered. 

Her blade struck the plant once, twice, and a third time before I felt my stomach drop and we fell. 

Rayla screamed, but it was a happy scream. I grinned as she whooped and shouted, the bud spinning us around as we floated towards the ground. 

I felt something grip my hand, and when I looked down, it was Rayla. Her hand was holding mine tightly, and she grinned back at me. 

But all good things have to come to an end. 

We eventually hit the ground, the bud skidding in the dirt before coming to a final halt. 

Rayla was breathless as we stopped moving, smiling widely. 

“Was that fun enough?” I asked, laughing breathily. 

Her smile turned shy, and she shouldered her pack. “Thanks for convincing me to take the ‘fun route’.”

“Anytime.”


	21. Ghost

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shoutout to @tylerdashart (on ig) for letting me use one of her scenes in this chapter, please go check out her ig she does amazing artwork of our favourite dorks!!!

“We’re inside moonshadow territory. We have to be extremely careful around here,” I warned. 

We had been walking for quite a few hours, but we hadn’t come across the Earthblood elves from earlier. Thank nexus. 

She ducked underneath a low-hanging branch. “Sounds fun.” She paused, before speaking again. “What are moonshadow elves like anyway?”

I snorted. “Grumpy, irritating, easily set off... that’s most of them anyway. A small group of them are actually decent beings who can be nice to others.”

“What about sky elves?”

“Well, they are charming, handsome, and incredibly funny.” I grinned at her, and she blushed, sucking her head. 

Okay. That was new - since when did banter get her flustered?

“Right,” she muttered, suddenly paying a lot of attention to the path ahead of us. 

Oh wow - she didn’t even tell me I was wrong? She basically just admitted that I was handsome, witty and charming! That was... really weird for her. No comeback, witty remark…

“I’m just kidding. Skywing elves are actually revered mages at best, kind of crazy at worst.”

I earned a chuckle from that. “What else are they like?”

“We are known as eccentric, a little crazy, occasionally great mages who control the storms and tame hurricanes.”

“Wow,” she whispered, awed.

“We have cities in the mountaintops, touching the clouds. Currently, the Dragon Queen is a sky dragon. As well as her prince.”

“Obviously,” Rayla commented, watching Zym lick my hand with sparks flying off his tongue.

“Our mages have summoned whole storms-“

“Like you did?” Rayla cut in. 

“Kind of. They can do it without passing out.” I grinned, but Rayla didn’t find it really funny. 

“Well there are stories - true stories - of freak tornados and hurricanes wiping out whole armies, all thanks to one experienced mage. Some can even turn their arms into wings, allowing them to fly,” I continued. 

“Wait, don’t skywing elves already have wings?”

I shook my head. “No. About one in ten skywing elves are born with wings.”

“That makes you pretty lucky then,” Rayla commented, gazing at my folded wings. 

“It does,” I smiled. 

“What about the other elves from the other primals?”

I thought for a moment. “Well, there’s sun. The great shining cities, the armies of warriors and royalty obsessed with purity.”

She looked like she was picturing the empires that the sunfire elves had built. 

“Then earth. They are mostly peaceful, small villages in the mountains. But there have been some of the most fearsome beasts and fighters from the Earthblood Kingdom. Giant wolf-bear hybrids that have heads the size of my wing. Elves almost as massive, that would win in a battle with any beast you throw at them.”

Rayla was listening intently with fascination, hanging off every word as we walked. 

“The ocean. I’ve heard of the great coral cities at the bottom of the sea, squid that could sink the largest human ships, sharks that are twenty metres long, elves with fish tails instead of legs. They are a feisty bunch, and an empire of their own. 

“I didn’t really give the moonshadow elves a fair description - they are mostly a sprinkle of villages, but they are so secret that you can only find one with a connection to the moon. They are invisible, fast, deadly and whip-smart. Not always  _ intelligent _ , but smart.

“Then the fabled startouch elves. They are almost never seen - an elusive bunch. But the stories say that they could see through time, through illusions, through space. They used the stars to see  _ everything _ . Not fighters, but the greatest mages of all time were startouch.”

“That sounds... amazing,” Rayla whispered. 

“It is,” I sighed, stopping for a moment. “We should rest. I have some fruit I found along the way.”

“You mean from when you went on an hour-long flight for fun,” Rayla smirked, taking the yellow berry from my hand. 

“Sure,” I replied, grinning back. 

Something felt off as we ate. Like we were being watched - but I shrugged it off. It was probably an animal. 

“What about the human kingdoms?” I asked, and her expression transformed into one of nostalgia and happiness. 

“Well, there’s the kingdom of Del-“

“Don’t move,” a voice growled, but I spun around anyway. 

It was a squad of moonshadow elves, brandishing swords, knives and daggers at us. About ten of them. 

“Give us the human and the dragonling and we will let you go,” A female demanded coldly. She was obviously the leader - with a tiny movement of her hand, a few fighters spread out to surround us. 

We were trapped.

Rayla:

Callum reacted quickly, grabbing my waist and pulling me to him. I stumbled into his arms, grabbing his scarf to steady myself as he held me to his chest protectively.

“Come near her and I  _ will _ kill you,” he snarled, wrapping his wings around me. I couldn’t pull my eyes away from his face - primal fury and aggression dominated his features. My hands were still grabbing his scarf as he growled at the attackers. 

It was like a switch had been flipped. Just like he had said - he was fiercely protective of the people close to him.

The moonshadow elves inched closer, their blades gleaming in the fading sunlight. Zym whimpered and pressed himself against my legs. 

The leader made another gesture with her hand to the others and Callum drew a small spell, his hand hidden from the assassins. I tried not to glance at the faintly glowing rune - it would give the spell away. 

Someone leapt at us - and Callum released the spell, shouting an incantation that sent all of the elves flying backwards, like a miniature tornado had just been released form his hand. 

He took the opening - beating his wings in a powerful gust, sending us a few feet into the air. Zym jumped at us, flapping his tiny wings to glide into Callum’s outstretched arm. 

I was clinging fiercely onto Callum’s neck with both arms, while he held onto Zym with one hand and wrapped the other around my waist to steady me. He beat his wings a few more times, and then we were soaring through the sky. 

Heights were still not my idea of fun, despite the flight on the winged bud yesterday, so I spent most of the time with my head buried in his neck. I occasionally gasped when he shot upwards and then free-fell, only to snap his wings out and level us just above the treetops. 

I glanced at the ground below us once, seeing the forest darken with sunset as Callum flew us away from our attackers. 

We didn’t fly for too long. After twenty minutes, Callum suddenly dipped, crash-landing us at the base of a tree, panting and shaking with the exertion. Before he went still. 

“Callum!” I cried, shaking his shoulders. “Please be okay, please be okay-“

His hand weakly reached up and rested on top of mine. “M’fine. It’s okay,” he mumbled, before going limp again. 

I gently wiped away the sweat on his brow and figured out how to take his jacket off to let him cool down - it had little buttons that went down from the slit for his wings to the bottom of the clothing. 

I tried not to notice how his armour and undershirt was sleeveless, revealing slightly toned arms, as I gently shook him awake. 

“We have to get to somewhere safer. We’re in the open here,” I whispered, and he groaned. 

“Everything hurts.”

I didn’t blame him. He just carried a human, a dragon, and a pack across a forest. I couldn’t even imagine how his muscles must feel right now. 

“Here,” I said, helping him up and slinging one of his arms across my shoulders. “Let’s go.”

We stumbled across the forest floor, and I couldn’t help but glance back very few minutes. Those elves would be looking for us. And we needed to be gone. 

I found a fallen tree that concealed a ditch, and dragged Callum the rest of the way. I almost tripped a few times, but we eventually settled down in the small hole in the ground. 

“Callum,” I muttered, and when he didn’t respond, my hand cupped his cheek and tilted his head up to look at me. “Callum!”

“Mmm?” He mumbled, drifting in and out of consciousness.   


_ Poor elf. _

“I’m going to go and get rid of our tracks. Stay here. Okay?”

“Yeah.”

“What are you going to do?” I asked. I needed to make sure that he was listening. 

“Stay here,” he replied, and I gently set his head down. His head lolled to the side as he leaned against a boulder, and I winced. I didn’t want to leave him alone. 

But I had to make sure that we weren’t going to be followed. 

I got back a few minutes later, scrambling for cover. I had heard voices. The elves were back. 

Zym whimpered, burying his face in my arms as I sat down. Luckily Callum had dark clothes and wings - he blended in with the pitch-black forest. And his blue skin was a lot less noticeable than my pale, almost white, skin. I gently pulled up his wing to cover me and Zym as the voices got closer. 

It was night… surely they wouldn’t find us. It was way too dark. 

“Are you sure she went this way?” A gruff voice yelled. 

“Umm, I’m not so sure anymore,” a second voice replied. 

“She’s just a human. We’ll find her, easily. As well as the overgrown pigeon and baby dragon,” a female shouted back. 

I shrunk back further, hiding myself from anyone who might stumble across the fallen tree. 

The shouts and growls faded after about ten minutes, the band continuing with their search further forwards. 

But as soon as I went to get up and check if the coast was clear, a dark shape dropped down in front of me. 

A middle-aged elf with a jagged scar running across his face, twisting the corner of his lip. I almost fell backwards but I regained my wits and drew my sword at him. 

“Relax, human,” The elf assured me, lowering the wickedly curved short swords he held to the ground. Surrendering. 

I narrowed my eyes, not moving. 

“Return the dragon prince. I will try to throw the troop off track. Just... return the prince,” he urged softly. “The Storm Spire is that way.” He pointed in a direction - roughly forwards, in the direction we were heading anyway. 

“Take care of your friend.” He gestured at the collapsed form of Callum. “And do not fail - for Xadia and the human kingdoms. Good luck,” he whispered, before picking his blades up - to sheath them. He nodded solemnly and leapt back into the trees, following the other assassins. 

I blinked at the encounter - he didn’t try to kill me. Or take Zym. He just... wished me luck. And pointed me in the right direction. 

I turned and headed back into the ditch, finding Callum awake. 

“You okay, dummy?” I smiled kindly despite my words, bumping him elbow with mine as I sat next to him. 

“Funny thing, my wings don’t even hurt that much. It’s just everything else,” he murmured back, and I snorted. 

He curved his wing around me protectively, and sleep found me quickly pressed against his side with Zym in my lap. 

I woke up, still snuggled into Callum’s side, and he was already awake from the looks of it.

I pulled away, face burning. “Sorry,” I stammered. 

“It’s- it’s alright,” he replied, just as flustered as I was. 

“How are you feeling? Better?” I asked, changing the subject. 

“I won’t be flying anytime soon, but I can walk,” he said, wincing when he stretched his arms 

“We should get moving,” I said, eyeing the sky - the sun was just starting to rise. 

“Yeah,” he agreed, getting up gently. 

We trekked through the forest, not stopping for a rest for a few hours. We couldn’t risk getting found again - Callum wouldn’t be able to fly  _ himself _ out, let alone all three of us. 

It still unnerved me how alive the whole place was. Something was always rustling a bush, there was always the sound of running water, everything was glowing and pulsing around us. 

But I supposed that it was beautiful - not the quiet, modest beauty of the Katolin Woods. This place had so many colours, and the animals weren’t hiding - they were curiously running up to us and sniffing cautiously at our heels. 

And Callum looked at home, grinning when I would watch, fascinated, when a squirrel would glide over or a flock of birds would swoop down low over our heads.

That night, we huddled close during the fire I had started - nights were freezing as we got closer to the Midnight Desert. Callum had briefly talked about the desert, but he didn’t know a whole lot about it. 

Only that it was not the place to be at night, with soul-eating serpents. 

Without thinking, I leaned into Callum. He was leaning back on his hands, one of his wings around me, and I snuggled into his side. 

I glanced up to see his face, searching for anything that would suggest that he didn’t want to be this close to me. What found instead was unexpected - happiness, peace... adoration? His eyes were twinkling at me, the emerald green almost glowing. Ten seconds (or was is ten minutes? time seemed to stop when he looked at me like that) passed by, just us gazing at each other. Then I did something rash-

I leaned in and kissed him. 

I don’t know what I was thinking - but I pressed my lips to his briefly. 

When I pulled back, he looked stunned. His eyes wide and shocked, his whole body frozen. 

“That’s not what I was... expecting,” he mumbled. 

Oh gods... I just kissed him. 

“You were just... you looked...” I struggled for words, shuffling away from his body. 

“No, I mean...” He touched his lips, then looked back up at me. 

I had made a horrible mistake. 

I got up, my tone shifting. “We will never speak of this again. Do you understand?” I snapped, not looking at the elf. 

“Of course, of course, yeah. Of course I do,” he mumbled awkwardly, and I could tell that he wasn’t looking at me either. Like he couldn’t bring himself to glance at me. 

“I mean  _ never _ ,” I said sharply, glaring at the elf. Classic Rayla - when threatened or humiliated, go on the attack. “I will swear an oath to killing you if you so much as mention it-“

“Of course not,” he said meekly. “I won’t.”

I exhaled coldly, my breath visible in front of my face. 

He got up and mumbled something along the lines of ‘going for a walk’.

Leaving me alone with tears stinging my eyes. 

Callum:

_ Idiot. Idiot - she kissed you! The human you haven’t been able to stop thinking about since Villads’ boat! And you screwed it up! _

I stopped yelling at myself mentally, and took a deep breath. I liked her. And she kissed me - that meant she liked me, right? But she didn’t know that I liked her. 

So all I had to do was go back and make her understand that I  _ did _ like her back. 

I could do this. Just go back to camp. 

I could do this. 

I walked back, and I heard a sniff. Rayla - oh nexus, was she crying? But she stiffened when she heard my footsteps. 

“What is it?” She snapped, not looking away from the fire. 

“Rayla, please look at me-“ I pleaded, and she stood up. 

“I don’t want your sympathy! I don’t want you to tell me that it’s fine, that you understand!” She yelled, angry now. And tears were gathering in her eyes. “Just leave me alone!”

I stepped forwards, and tried to stifle the voice inside me that was screaming to run away. 

And I kissed her. 

It wasn’t for long - and I pulled away quickly when I realised that she wasn’t kissing me back. She was shocked - leaving me terrified. 

But before I could stammer anything, she grabbed my scarf, tugging me closer to her, and her lips crashed into mine. I actually responded this time. Wrapped my arms around her waist. Kissed her back. 

Her hand slipped down from my scarf to rest on my chest, above my heart, as she broke away. 

“Wow,” I murmured, and she smiled at me. Tenderly. Like I was worth something - and maybe even everything. The way no one had ever really smiled at me before. 

Then we were kissing again, my wings wrapping tightly around us, to pull her even closer to me. 

When we finally pulled away, both of us gasping for air, we still couldn’t break contact with each other. I couldn’t bring myself to move my hands from between her shoulder blades and her lower back - and she kept hers around my neck. 

“We should sit down,” I murmured, reaching up to tuck a strand of her silky silver hair behind her ear. 

“Yeah.” Her face was flushed, and her lips were slightly parted and swollen. Beautiful. 

I took her hand and led us to the base of a tree. The fire was dying - but I let it fade into embers, content with the way Rayla tucked herself into my side as when we sat down. 

I leaned back against the tree and one of my hands drifted to hers, lacing our fingers together. A perfect fit - my four fingers slipping between the gaps of hers. 

“Should we - should we talk about this?” She stammered, looking up from where her head was resting on the joint between my chest and shoulder. 

“If you want to,” I replied, my eyes falling on where her fingers danced across my palm, loosely tracing circles. But she didn’t say anything else. 

After a few seconds, she yawned involuntarily and I chuckled. “Call it a night?” I grinned. 

“Shut up,” she muttered, getting up to put the fire out. But she was still smiling a small, happy smile.

Rayla:

When I turned around, Callum was laying on his back. I settled down next to him - but I was careful not to be too close. Not to touch him. 

I watched his face for a moment, then steeled my nerves and leant over to kiss him again. He pushed his lips back into mine, the feeling making me giddy and happiness bubble in my chest. 

I turned around and faced my back towards him - if I could see the stupid happy smile on his annoyingly handsome face I had no idea if I would be able to stop kissing him. 

But I was shivering before long. It was freezing out here, especially without a fire. My teeth chattered and I rubbed my arms, trying to warm myself up, when I felt warmth radiating from something behind me. 

Or someone. 

“Is- is this okay?” Callum asked nervously, his arm slipping around my waist. 

Of course it was. The simple, intimate gesture made me feel like I was going to combust. “Yeah,” I replied, and he shuffled forwards until my back was pressed against his chest.

I sighed happily, then blushed when I heard him chuckle from behind me. His wing stretched out over us like a blanket, or a cocoon. I wasn’t cold anymore, enveloped in the elf’s warmth. 

It was a peaceful night’s sleep, my dreams filled with deep blue wings and green eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So:  
> I figured that since a) Callum is more confident, being a sky mage and really good at what he does, so he wouldn’t be quite as afraid to go back to Rayla and b) since Rayla hasn’t been abandoned like she has been in canon (parents, squad, Ethari) she’s less insecure (just as scary when rejected but less unsure of herself) sooooooo RAYLLUM HAPPENS EARLIER HELL YES I’VE WAITED WEEKS TO POST THIS CHAPTER


	22. The Midnight Desert

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RAYLLUMMMMM  
> behold:  
> 4k of rayllum  
> (also Nyx. I love Nyx.)

I woke up, still cuddling Callum in my sleep. His soft breaths were tickling the back of my neck - it made me snap into reality, remembering last night. 

The sun was just starting to rise, the forest faintly glowing in the morning light. I decided that we should probably get going - it was too dangerous to stay in the one spot for too long. 

“Callum,” I whispered, turning around in his arms to face him. I was so close to him that our noses were brushing and our breaths mingled. “Wake up.”

He grumbled a bit, but his eyes flicked open after a few seconds. He grinned when he realised that I was in his arms and I couldn’t help but return it with my own giddy smile. 

“Can I kiss you?” He asked, breaking the peaceful silence. 

I laughed - I hadn’t known how good it would feel to hear those words. “Of course, dummy.”

He quickly captured my lips, and I was drowning in the sensations of his hand tightening on my back to keep my body flush with his, his silky hair in my fingers, and his warm wings wrapping around us. 

Eventually, I had to breath. Which was unfortunate. Callum was smiling again though, resting his forehead against mine as we both caught our breaths. 

“Time to get moving?” Callum asked, and I nodded. Words were a foreign concept right now - I didn’t even try to speak for the risk that it would come out as a jumble and I would probably embarrass myself. 

_Why_ _was he so good at kissing?!_

He pulled away, helping me up to my feet but his hand around my forearm wasn’t the same as being wrapped up in him. 

We buried the remains of the fire and had a tiny breakfast of the few berries and fruits Callum had found around our campsite. After that, we were on the road. 

After an hour of walking, I got an idea.

“Hey, Callum?” 

He turned his head to face me, not sure what was going on. 

“I had a thought - if we run into any more elves, maybe it would help if I... looked like one.” I grinned as he pinched the bridge of his nose exasperatedly. 

“You’re not saying...” he muttered, dreading what he knew was coming. 

“Elf-Rayla!” I cheered. “It’s only fair - you deserve this after a disastrous attempt at being a human.”

“Hey! I have wings! How am I supposed to cover those?” He complained. 

I ignored him, rolling my eyes. “I got a good look at the moonshadow elves, and I look a lot like them. Just with an extra finger, round ears and no horns.”

Callum nodded thoughtfully. “I actually thought that you were an elf when I first saw you... this could work. You look a lot like an assassin.”

“I guess I’m an assassin then.” I smiled, thinking about how to turn my outfit into an elven style, and my mind inevitably trailed off to that night at the castle. The elves there, the knife aimed at my forehead, my dad...

“Hey... I’m sorry.” Callum rested his hand on my shoulder, guiding my gaze back to him. “That was a really crappy thing to say - you can be something else if you want-“

“No. It’s okay. I’ll be an assassin.” I pressed a kiss to his cheek, and I was definitely blushing a little when I pulled away. “But your concern is sweet.”

He smiled back at me, then he shrugged his jacket off. 

“What are you-“ I stammered, but he showed me his armour. 

“Maybe we can get this to fit on you. It’s not as rigid as it seems.” He undid a few clips, fumbling a bit with nervousness. Oh yeah. He was not as cool with casually undressing in front of me as he tried to seem. At least he had an undershirt on. 

He handed me the armour - it was flexible, like he said. Made up of little plates that were connected together, like scales. He helped me clip it on and I felt a little like a turtle when he was done. It fit weirdly - his shoulders were broader than mine, and my chest wasn’t as flat as his - but with a bit of experimenting with the straps, Callum announced that that was as good as it was going to get. 

“There. Now... if we had a cloak, it would be pretty much perfect.” He studied me, and I could tell my cheeks were dusted pink under his intense gaze. 

_ Why couldn’t I stop blushing?!? _

“Oh!” He clearly had an idea, searching through some bushes by the path. When he walked back up to me, he showed me some berries. 

“I can imitate moonshadow markings with these,” he said, and he crushed them in his hands. 

He held up his finger, which was covered in a purple juice, and gave me time to refuse. But I stayed put, so he started painting small markings under my eyes. 

“Perfect.” He grinned, clearly proud of his work. 

The juice on my face dried quickly as Callum put the finishing touches on it. 

I wished I could see how I looked, but there wasn’t anything that I could use as a mirror. We decided to stop at the next pond, both for water and an opportunity for me to see my reflection. 

When I did see myself, I was stunned. 

An elf was staring back at me through the clear water. 

“Wow. This looks way better than your disguise did,” I teased, touching the little purple stains under my eyes. Like single claws that curved down my cheeks. With my lilac eyes and white hair, I looked about as human as Human-Callum did. 

I told Callum my thoughts, and he chuckled. “I deserve that.”

“It was a pretty terrible costume - even Villads saw through it.”

“Hey! Firstly, you were the one who made the comment that tipped him off! Secondly, he’s blind!” Callum protested, and my face split into an even wider grin. 

“And?”

Callum rolled his eyes, but I could tell that he was enjoying the banter. It was a return to somewhat normalcy, after the tension between us yesterday. And especially after last night - I thought that everything would change. But if anything, we were more comfortable with each other, even if it might be a little awkward occasionally. But really, nothing had changed.

We just… clicked. 

We continued walking until night, deciding agonist making a fire. We had some fruits, so there was no point in alerting anyone around us, just to ward off the cold. 

Besides, we could keep each other warm. 

I found a hollow tree that we shuffled into - it was so dark that we were practically invisible, but we had a clear view of the clearing in front of us. 

I cuddled up to Callum, resting my head and hand on his chest. Without any hesitation he pressed a kiss to my hair and his arms held me close. 

“Should we keep watch?” I asked, tilting my head up to face him. 

“I don’t think we need to. It’s a secluded part of the forest, and we’re hidden pretty well. Unless you want to...?”

“If you think it’s fine, then I’m all good,” I told him, and I craned my neck to kiss him. 

He responded happily, relaxing under me while threading his fingers through my hair. I almost sighed into his mouth - this moment was perfect. 

My fingers brushed over his cheek affectionately when we pulled apart, and Callum smirked. 

“And to think that I used to believe you would never like me.”

“Stop ruining it,” I mumbled, going back to leaning my head on his chest so I wouldn’t have to see his face. Or maybe so he wouldn’t be able to see mine. 

Over the next two and a half days, I started getting used to a routine. 

Wake up, enjoy the few minutes before Callum woke up and untangled our limbs, walk for hours with little breaks (but hold hands with Callum the whole way), attempt to contain the urge to kiss him senseless when we paused for water and food, fail to contain said urge and just spend the ten minutes making out with him against a tree, then go to sleep cuddling after a long day of walking.

It was a spectacular routine that I enjoyed very much. 

But that all fell apart when we reached the Midnight Desert one morning. 

We looked out at the dark-sanded wasteland, feeling the heat radiating off of the ground even from thirty feet away. 

“How... how big is this desert?” I asked anxiously. 

“Three days walk,” Callum murmured, rolling his sleeves up without taking his gaze away from the looming dunes. 

“We can’t cross that. Surely.” I frowned. Zym yapped in agreement, hiding behind my legs. It took me a moment to realise that he was in my shadow, shielding himself from the glaring sun. “How long to go around it?”

“A week,” he replied, and I grimaced. That was far too long. 

“I could go and see if there’s anyone who can take us across,” Callum said, turning his head to me. 

It was my choice, I realised. 

I weighed the options - letting Callum fly part of the way over a desert that oozed death and danger, or just taking the week’s journey. 

I decided. “Be careful,” I told Callum, grabbing his scarf (which was always a nice handhold to tug him down to my height) and kissing him, and his hand cupped my cheek. 

“I’ll be back,” he promised against my lips, stroking my cheek with his fingers. 

His wings snapped open, and he beat them until he was hovering a few inches off the ground. Even then, he kept his hand on my cheek, like he couldn’t bear to pull away. 

He quickly pressed one last kiss to my forehead, he flapped his beautiful wings and soared off into the distance. 

Maybe it was pitiful, or clingy, or just sad, but I watched him fly away until I couldn’t see him anymore, his shape disappearing over the horizon. 

Ten minutes passed. I played with Zym a little, helping him practise flying. 

Half an hour. I glanced to the sky every few minutes, growing anxious. 

An hour. I paced now, biting my lip and occasionally sitting down. Only to get back up straight away. 

An hour and a half. After ten minutes of walking back and forth, I decided to start slashing at a tall bush with my sword. It started out as practicing my sparring, but it turned into me slicing through the leaves without any technique or form. 

After two hours, I was about to go into the desert myself and find the stupid skywing elf. Because two hours in that place... he could be injured. Or dead.

No- he was fine. I just... knew it. 

But I saw someone flying towards me and I grinned, my anxiety melting away. 

Except as the shape got closer, I noticed their wings were brown. A reddish-brown. And their hair was a bright blue. Not at all like the dark shade Callum’s was. 

It wasn’t Callum. 

My worry washed over me like a tidal wave, quickly morphing into fury when I caught the disgruntled look in the elf’s eyes. 

When the skywing landed, I stormed over to them and drew my sword, holding it at her neck. 

“Where is he?” I growled, and the elf laughed nervously. 

“Whoa, steady there. Calm down. I do  _ not _ know who you are talking about. I would know if I had seen ‘him’,” she replied coolly, holding her hands up. 

“Don’t lie to me!” I hissed pressing the sword into her neck a little harder. 

“I’m not! Promise! Who are you looking for?” She asked, then her mismatched eyes flicked up to my head. “What happened to your horns, terrifying moonshadow elf?”

“I’m looking for a skywing elf. Blue wings and jacket. Sketchbook on his shoulder,” I snarled at her, ignoring the part about my horns, or rather, lack of them. 

“You’re a human?!” She yelped, and I gritted my teeth. 

_ “Have. You. Seen. Him?!”  _

“No! I have not! But why would a human be looking for an elf? Especially at the border of the Midnight Desert?” She wondered. 

“I’m the one asking questions,” I growled, and the sword was close to breaking her skin. 

“Come to think of it, I do recall meeting a young elf who was looking to cross the desert-“ She stammered, pausing when a snarl ripped from my throat. “And he was running - flying - away from here, from the looks of it. With no intent of returning.”

She was lying. No doubt about that. 

“Nexus- Rayla!” I heard a shout, and my head whipped up from the elf on the ground to  _ my _ elf. 

_ My _ elf, who landed on the ground and was now running towards me from a completely different direction than the desert.  _ My _ elf, whose stunning, emerald eyes were wide with relief. 

“Callum!” I cried, throwing myself into his arms. 

“I see you found Nyx,” he muttered into my hair, and I almost sobbed. 

“What the hell happened?!” I cried, pulling away to glare at him, but my hands were shaking slightly as they gripped his upper arms. “You were gone for  _ two hours!” _

“I ran into  _ her _ , explained that I needed a ride through the desert, then when I told her that I had a companion that needed to take her ambler as well, she managed to confuse me into flying into the wrong direction back - all while trying to convince me that you would’ve ran away by then.” His eyes flashed briefly with anger when he glanced back at Nyx, who was rubbing her neck where the sword had been, while shooting us an exasperated look. 

“Oh, come on. If you had’ve told me that your  _ friend _ was a sword-wielding, moonshadow-impersonating, very moody human, then I would’ve tried harder to get you alone,” she complained. 

“I swear to the gods-“ I growled, turning away from Callum and reaching for my sword, but his hand landed on mine before I could do any damage. 

“Where is your ambler?” He asked stiffly. 

“Come on, sweetheart. You both need to relax-“

“Do  _ not _ call him  _ sweetheart _ ,” I snarled, Callum now actively holding me back. 

“You two are no fun-“

“Do you want us to take our business elsewhere?” He demanded. 

“I’m sorry sweetheart, but it doesn’t look like you have much choice.” She quirked an eyebrow tauntingly, and I was about to pluck every feather off her wings. 

Zym growled at her, and suddenly her whole demeanour shifted. 

“Is that a  _ dragon _ ?” She exclaimed loudly - Zym was behind my legs, peering at the incredibly irritating elf. 

“Is there a problem?” Callum snarked back. 

“Wait a minute - there’s only been one sky dragon egg laid in recent memory ! Is that... the Dragon Prince?” Nyx asked cautiously, Luger eyes wide with amazement.

“Yes. He’s the Dragon Prince. Can we go now?!” I snapped.

“Of course! My ambler is this way!” Nyx started flying away, wisely choosing to get in the air and away from me. I glared daggers at her the whole time, before I started to walk in the direction she flew in - towards the centre of the endless desert. 

Callum:

I was jittery walking over the sand, not at all liking the way it sucked and pulled at my feet, threatening to swallow me whole. Rayla didn’t seem to notice it however, trudging on with steely determination in her eyes. And anger. Plenty of that. 

Zym yelped playfully, jumping off Rayla’s shoulder and onto the sandy ground. It took him a few steps to get used to the loose footing, and then he cheerfully started strutting next to her. 

Eventually the giant beast loomed in the distance, and if I squinted I could make out the rough shape of the creature. The ambler. Finally. 

The shape waved and danced with the heat radiating off the sand, but it slowly got closer. Soon I could see something flying around the head of the ambler - I didn’t want to be reminded of Nyx, and how we would be spending the next couple of days in her company. 

“We’re almost there,” I murmured, catching up to Rayla. 

Her firm expression didn’t shift for a moment, and I panicked for a second that I had done something wrong and she was mad at me, but finally she turned her head and she looked... worried. 

“Then we just take the free ride for few days?” She asked. 

“Yeah. No walking, no boats. Just relaxing,” I confirmed. 

“It’s just... I really, really don’t like Nyx,” she said. 

“Trust me, I don’t like Nyx either - especially after the way she was looking at me...” I trailed off, shaking my head. “I don’t want to travel this way either. But it’s our only choice.”

Rayla’s glare snapped from the distance, at the small shape flying far ahead of us, to me. “After the way she  _ what _ ?!” She growled. 

“Ummm... I first saw her and she wouldn’t stop looking at me like I was a piece of meat.” I was honest, because hiding anything wouldn’t end well. 

Rayla’s grip tightened on the hilt of her sheathed sword, her knuckles turning white. 

Okay. This side of Rayla was something that was common when someone so much as  _ looked _ at Ezran wrong, but with me? That was new. And... sweet?

“While I appreciate you being protective - it’s actually pretty cute - it’s okay. You don’t have to worry, she’s not dangerous. A nuisance? Probably. A pickpocket? Almost definitely. But a mage or warrior? Nope.”

Rayla didn’t react much apart from a small blush dusting her cheeks when I called her cute. At least fury wasn’t rippling off her in waves anymore. 

“And if you were worried about her in any other way... Nyx is, like, twenty years older than me. And definitely a real pain in the ass. Not my type at all.”

“Callum!” Rayla swatted my arm, now bright red. Mood successfully shifted from fury to playful banter and teasing. 

“Besides, my type is more fierce, stunningly beautiful, witty, and stubborn.” I brushed a strand of her hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear, and she finally smiled at me. 

She rolled her eyes but cupped my jaw and pressed her lips against mine, soft but insistent.

I grinned when she pulled away, and caught her hand to lace our fingers together as we continued walking. 

The massive creature towered over us, lowering its tail for us to hop on. It easily lifted us up off the ground and onto the saddle, where we slumped down.

“Sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride!” Nyx called from the ambler’s head. Well. Her change in mood was definitely... weird. And she kept glancing at Zym. 

But the rest of the day was spent snacking, talking, and a good portion, when I added it up, was me getting well acquainted with Rayla’s lips. 

And then, we finally arrived at the Oasis. 

We landed on the ground, awed by the peaceful sanctuary in the desert. The sunset made it even prettier as well. 

“It gets really cold here at night, so we’ll need these.” Nyx passed us a bedroll each, but I glanced over at Rayla to confirm if she was thinking the same thing. 

She nodded at me, then passed her roll back to Nyx. “We only need one blanket.”

Nyx looked... surprised, then mischievous. Which was not a great omen for the night. 

I shook my thoughts away as Rayla returned my soft smile, walking with me to the small camp. 

The temperature was already dropping fast, the air becoming freezing and the warmth seeping out of the ground. 

I unrolled the blanket and set the pillow down, taking my place at the edge of the makeshift sleeping space. 

Sleeping next to each other on the ground was one thing. Sharing a blanket…. was another thing entirely. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little nervous. 

Rayla sat down next to me, and she pressed her lips to mine briefly - it sounded silly when I thought about it, but it was our little goodnight kiss. A part of the routine we had made over the past few days. 

I beamed at her - it was still exhilarating, being able to kiss her and hold her close. She reciprocated my smile before rolling over so she was facing away from me, and I gladly shuffled forwards to hug her to my chest. Zym curled up in Rayla’s arms as well, and I scratched his neck affectionately. 

Nyx snorted at us from the fire, but I nuzzled Rayla’s neck anyway. 

Soon my breathing evened out, and I fell into a dreamless sleep. 

I was woken up by a loud howl, calling in the distance. 

I grumbled and went back to cuddling Rayla. I reached out to pet Zym, but I couldn’t feel him. I started patting wildly, trying to find the dragonling. But he was nowhere. 

I jolted, sitting up and searching for Nyx. 

Rayla moaned something, my sudden rising waking her up. Her arms flailed around, searching for me, and then her eyes flew open. 

“Where- where’s Zym?!” She asked, very, very awake now. 

“Zym‘s gone. Nyx took him,” I growled, spreading my wings and taking off. 

I flew through the Wonderwall, but I couldn’t see so much as ambler tracks, let alone the actual creature. 

I landed heavily next to Rayla. “She’s long gone.”

“Well, we have to catch up!” She yelled, stuffing the blanket into her pack and looking around for a way to cross the desert. 

I heard a yelp and I whirled around - there were two shadowpaws outside of the Wonderwall, and they were growling at the ground. 

A few carcasses surrounded them. Soul Serpent carcasses. 

I launched myself off the ground, gliding just a few feet above the dust as I sped towards the stranded mounts. I heard Rayla shouting behind me, and I prayed to whatever gods could hear me that she wasn’t following me. 

I flew up, higher than the snakes could reach, just as a serpent burrowed out of the sand and leapt at me. I dodged it easily, but it joined the circle of snakes surrounding the canine shadowpaw. 

Then Rayla was there, slashing at the serpents around it, and yelling at it to get to safety. 

Everything turned fuzzy and unfocused as she narrowly dodged one of the serpents - its fang  _ tore a hole in her sleeve _ . 

My whole world became tunnel vision, nothing mattering but making sure that Rayla lived. 

I swooped down and snatched a snake out of the air just as it leapt at her back, and I electrocuted it as my hand made contact with its head. 

_ Sizzle _ . 

I launched myself at Rayla, hooking one arm under her knees and another around her shoulders, and I beat my wings furiously to get us out of there. 

I heard, more than saw, the serpent’s fangs sink into the canine mounts back, and it howled in pain. I glanced back, seeing it turn grey and its eyes turn a bright green as it started galloping calmly towards a group of hissing snakes. 

It was beyond help. 

Rayla was beating at my chest and arms, shouting at me. But it was muffled, like I was underwater. 

She suddenly screamed, the sound piercing through my unrelenting focus, and I instinctively pulled my feet up and away from the ground. 

A serpent had lunged at me, aiming for my boots. 

But it missed, just as we passed through the Wonderwall again - this time into safe territory. I barely registered that the feline shadowpaw was whining at the loss of it’s companion at the campsite. Just that it was there. 

I set Rayla down on the ground, and she started pacing, running her fingers through her hair. 

“What the _hell_ was that?!” She yelled at me. 

“You were surrounded! You saw what those serpents did to the shadowpaw - you could’ve died!” I argued. 

“We could’ve saved it! If you hadn’t pulled me away-“

I grabbed her arm and turned the sleeve around. “Right there! A serpent almost bit you!” I shouted back. “You almost  _ died _ ! More than twice! You saw what happened to the other mount - that was almost  _ you _ !”

The image of Rayla, the life leeched out of her and her eyes no longer the vibrant lilac, walking towards a den of snakes to become a meal - it burned itself into my brain. 

She went quiet after that, looking a little more scared than before. 

Good. Being scared would keep her alive. 

“I- I can’t lose you,” I choked out, slipping my arms around her waist to hug her close, my wings wrapping around her as well. 

After a moment of shock from her, she embraced me back and rested her head on my shoulder. 

“I’m sorry. You’re right - and I shouldn’t be mad about you saving my life,” she mumbled. 

“What do we do now?” She asked. 

“We can’t follow Nyx during the night. It’s way too risky,” I told her, and she didn’t argue. “We wait until morning, and then we take the shadowpaw and track her.”

“Could you fly and catch up to her...?”

I shook my head firmly. “I’m not leaving you here alone.”

“...Okay,” she agreed after a moment of hesitation. 

I sighed in relief. “Okay.” I had expected more of a fight, but I wasn’t complaining. Maybe that snake had really terrified her. 

We nestled under the blanket and into each other - no point staying up and being exhausted at dawn.

Because tomorrow was going to be one hell of a day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little spin on things ;)


	23. Heroes and Masterminds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow it’s been a long time... for a while life kinda threw a lot of shit at me and I lost my spark for writing, but I think it’s back and I was finally able to finish this chapter. 
> 
> Without further ado, enjoy :)

A shrill shriek forcefully pulled me out of sleep, and I sat up abruptly. I scanned the oasis for any danger - and I spied some sort of vulture flying overhead in the early morning light. 

“Stupid bird,” I muttered. 

Callum yawned behind me, and I settled back down next to him. 

“What did I do wrong?” he groaned, stretching his wings with his eyes still closed. 

“I meant the bird that woke me up, dummy,” I snorted. “The one in the sky?”

“Ah, I see,” he mumbled. 

I studied the sky - it was getting brighter slowly. “We should leave soon.”

Callum sighed, but didn’t fight me.

By first light, we had mounted the shadowpaw that was hanging around the campsite - I was holding the reins as I had experience with horses, and Callum was generally hopeless with animals. 

His arms had slipped around my waist at some point to stop himself from falling off, which was fine by me. 

I wasn’t mad at him after our fight last night - I was just too exhausted to even think about speaking or making conversation. Callum either knew that, or he was tired too - for which I was grateful. 

So we rode in comfortable silence. At one point Callum’s head fell onto my shoulder and didn’t move. I glanced to the side and saw that he was sleeping - I couldn’t suppress the small smile that formed on my lips. 

_ So adorable _ . 

But the peace didn’t last long. The shadowpaw abruptly skidded to a stop, sniffing the ground insistently. 

“What the- hey! What are you doing?!” I yelled, trying to pull the feline mount back on course. 

“W-what? What’s going on?” Callum asked, sounding confused and sleepy with a slur to his words. 

_ Stop being so cute please I can’t concentrate properly- _

“The shadowpaw just… stopped,” I informed him, giving the reins one more half-hearted tug. 

“Uhhh… look around us,” Callum murmured, sitting straighter. 

The ground was lowered slightly, like we were in a small divot, or… in a large animal track. 

“The ambler,” I breathed. “We’re getting close.”

After another hour of riding, Callum pulled me out of my concentration by stretching behind me. His arms left my waist, and I decided that I didn’t like how cold my stomach felt in the absence of his touch. 

“Hey, you,” I murmured, pulling my eyes back to the path in front of us. 

“Hey.” Callum’s arms wound back around me, and his head rested on my shoulder again. 

“The tracks are getting clearer. Nyx isn’t too far off,” I told him, pointing to one as we passed it. 

Callum nodded, then mumbled into my neck. “Do you want some more sleep? I know you didn’t get much last night, and you look... really tired.”

“I know. I look like a wreck,” I muttered, glaring at the sand ahead. 

I didn’t want to be reminded of how I couldn’t sleep because it was  _ my _ fault that Nyx got away with Zym and that I should’ve been more alert and-

Callum pursed his lips at my tone, and I sighed. “I’m sorry,” I murmured. “I’m a little tired, but I wouldn’t be able to sleep anyway. But thank you for asking.”

I didn’t want him to think that I was mad at him - I really wasn’t - and drama was the last thing we needed right now. 

“Just making sure that you’re okay,” Callum replied, smiling again. 

We were riding for most of the day until we finally saw the ambler in the distance. It was almost night, the sun setting on the horizon.

“It’s foot is stuck,” I realised as we were catching up. 

“This is our chance!” Callum exclaimed happily, his hold on me tightening. 

And of course as he finished speaking, the ambler started moving again. 

“We’re not losing them again,” I growled through gritted teeth, spurring the mount on. 

A small whine escaped the shadowpaw at my sudden intensity, but we sped up to gallop beside the ambler. 

“I can fly us up,” Callum murmured, and I nodded in agreement. “Hold on tight, then.”

I clung to his neck and my legs hooked around his hips as he launched us into the air. We soared up - Callum’s flying never ceased to amaze me at times like this, ascending faster than I thought was possible - and we landed on the saddle gently. 

Nyx wasn’t even surprised to see us, holding Zym close as we faced her. 

“You aren’t getting away again,” I growled, unsheathing my sword and leveling it at her. 

“You think you have me cornered?” Nyx scoffed. 

“There’s nowhere else to go.” Callum started drawing a rune, one I hadn’t seen before. But it felt… cold. 

Nyx rolled her eyes, stepped up to the wall of the saddle, and jumped off. 

“No-“ I lurched forward, watching her nose dove towards the ground with the evangelical dragon still trapped in her arms. 

“I’ve got her!” Callum shouted, leaping onto the edge and then diving after her. 

I could do nothing but watch, frozen, as Nyx flew away with powerful wing beats. Callum was barely managing to catch up with her-

A patch of glowing green of sand caught my eye, and I realised… it was almost night. The sun was setting. 

Without warning, Nyx cried out and started falling towards the ground. Callum was close behind, spearing after her. 

I had to do something - I couldn’t sit here as Callum dived into the nest of soul serpents. If he wasn’t willing to let me face a few snakes on my own, then I sure as  _ hell _ wasn’t about to let him do the same. 

I scrambled around the floor of the saddle for something,  _ anything _ that could help me. My eyes landed on a large coil of rope… that could work. 

I secured one end of the rope to a hook on the floor, and flung the rest over the edge. I sent my prayers to any gods listening, my heart thumping as I eyed the drop…

It was easily high enough to kill if I fell. And who knew if the rope would hold?

Turning to face the head of the ambler, I started shouting. 

“You! Hey, you!” I yelled, waving my hands. 

The ambler’s head slowly turned, looking at me curiously. 

“Down! Let me down!” I shouted, pointing to its tail. 

It tilted its head at me, regarding me, before snorting and turning away. 

_ Oh dear gods. Rope it is.  _

I double checked the hook where the rope was fastened, swung my legs over the saddle wall, and jumped. 

_ Holy shit oh gods- _

My stomach lurched into my throat as I swung in an arc, and I suppressed the scream that was threatening to escape. 

_ Please don’t break all my bones- _

I landed not-so-smoothly, rolling and tumbling on the warm sand. 

Nyx, Zym and Callum. I had to make sure they were okay. 

Well, mostly Callum and Zym.

I drew my sword, anticipating a serpent to launch itself out of the sand at any moment. 

_ I am never coming back to this cursed place ever again,  _ I promised myself as I dashed across the black desert. 

But it seemed that all of the snakes had gathered around a slightly charred Nyx, who was cowering in a ball as the sand around her glowed brightly with the concentration of submerged soil serpents. 

Callum was standing on a rocky ledge with Zym - who was okay, thankfully - and I rushed to him. 

“Oh gods - you and Zym are okay?” I asked quickly, scanning him over and picking up the baby dragon to examine him for injury. 

“We’re fine, but Nyx - Zym electrocuted her and now she can’t fly,” Callum murmured, his eyes wide. “They don’t seem to be attacking, but that might be because she’s so still.”

Well, that could be it. Nyx was unmoving, just crouching with her wings around her.

But then a serpentine head burst out of the ground, and hissed at the elf. 

“Stay here. Protect Zym,” I muttered, setting Zym down and gripping my sword tightly. 

Was Nyx a massive pain in the ass? Definitely. Did she deserve to die though? 

_ …no. No one deserves to be killed like this. Afraid and cowering. Devoid of all hope.  _

I gritted my teeth and slid down the hill, easily slicing through the body of a snake as it lunged at me. 

_ Thud. Thud.  _

By now, most of the serpents were focused on me - the larger threat, currently swinging a sword around. 

Before I could even think  _ this is how I’m going to die, saving a stupid pigeon lady, _ a current arced through the frontmost line of snakes. 

They all collapsed and the air smelled like that time Ezran had burned his bacon horribly. I didn’t dare take my eyes away from the snakes still slithering for me, and in one clean movement all three were headless. 

“Rayla! Help Nyx!”

By now, the snakes were slithering aimlessly, confused, as swathes of them were sliced apart, electrocuted, or frozen into blocks. I had a clear path to Nyx. 

“Come on!” I hissed, grabbing the older elf’s arm harshly. 

Nyx stood slowly - too slowly. A snake leapt at her now exposed calf, fangs bared. 

_ “Move!” _ I shouted, yanking her out of the way and stabbing the serpent. 

Nyx finally seemed to get her head straight, scrambling up the hill. I heard a yelp, and I held out my arms for Zym to leap into them. 

“Callum! Let’s go!” He was still taking out snakes left and right, but he was tiring and they were starting to get closer and closer with every lunge. 

He glanced up, seeing that Nyx, Zym and I were safe, and casted a wind spell to blow the rest of the serpents in all directions so he could take off. 

We met up at the feet of the ambler, and I was surprised to see the shadowpaw waiting patiently for us. 

“Nyx, can you get your ambler to let us up?” Callum asked, eyeing the sand nervously. 

“Yes, yes, I’m… getting there. Almost dying... is very… tiring,” she panted, bracing her hands on her knees. 

“Are you sure it wasn’t the baby dragon stealing?” I snarked, and Zym squeaked indignantly in agreement. 

Nyx glared at me and whistled loudly, calling the ambler’s attention. 

“Down!” she ordered, and the ambler lowered her tail obediently. 

“Hurry up, we need to get up-“ Callum murmured, his wings fluttering anxiously as we climbed onto the tail. 

“Up!” Nyx called, and we were slowly lifted onto the saddle. 

I hurried onto the saddle as soon as we were level with it, slumping down the wall onto my butt and letting my eyes slip closed in relief. 

“Nexus- Rayla, are you okay?!” I felt Callum’s hands close around my shoulders as he stressed, and I smiled and opened one eye. 

“I’m fine. That was just one of the most stressful things I’ve done in my life,” I told him, resting my hands over his. 

Callum laughed and leant his forehead against mine, his touch becoming less urgent and more affectionate. “You had me worried for a second. And I agree, tonight has been pretty intense.”

Gods, Callum’s face was so kissable. 

I tipped my head forward, slowly meeting Callum halfway to press my lips against his-

“Ahem.”

I frowned at the sound of Nyx clearing her throat, looking… sheepish. 

“Staying on the topic of stress and snakes, I, uh, wanted to ask why you saved me. After I stole your dragon and betrayed you.” She tucked her wings in close to her body. 

I’d known Callum for long enough to understand the body language of wings. She was feeling guilty. 

“It’s because you didn’t deserve to die. No matter how annoying you are,” I added sharply, scratching Zym behind the neck as Callum settled down next to me. 

Callum placed a hand on my knee and smiled at Nyx. “It’s just what Rayla does.”

Nyx exhaled slowly, still looking sheepish. “Thank you. For saving my life.”

Once the older elf had finished scaling up the long neck of the ambler, I nudged Callum. 

“Just what I do, huh?” I teased. 

“It is. Rayla, you’re a hero,” Callum was looking at me with such awe and reverence…

_ Really? I am? _

“You… really think that?” I breathed. 

“Of course. That was pretty obvious from the second I saw you,” Callum told me. “Sword pointed at my head with the scariest scowl I’d ever seen.”

“Oh. Yeah. We didn’t exactly meet under the best circumstances,” I grinned, and he laughed. 

“No. But I’m, um, really happy that we did meet,” he said, ducking his head shyly before continuing. 

“You’re a hero because… well, you always do what’s right, even if it means you’ll end up hurt. 

“I remember Ez telling me about these tales humans would recount to each other, ones about a princess in danger and a knight in shining armour coming to rescue her,” Callum tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear, gazing at me fondly. “But… you’re no damsel in trouble.”

I laughed softly, but I didn’t take my eyes away from his. “I believe the term is ‘damsel in distress’.”

He rolled his eyes. “You know what I mean.”

“Yeah. I do,” I murmured. 

He paused, hesitating, but then he steeled himself and spoke. 

“I know we haven’t really told each other, but - Rayla, I… I really like you,” he told me, brushing his thumb along my jaw. 

I cupped his cheek and pulled him in for a kiss, our lips moulding together perfectly. 

“I really like you too, Callum,” I murmured. 

He grinned and his hand slipped into my hair, tugging my head forward so our lips could connect again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No clue when the next chapter will be out, all I know is that it’s gonna have even more tooth rotting fluff then chapter 22 (cough cough callum and ray are alone for several days cough cough)

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! If you have any feedback, suggestions or prompts, feel free to leave a comment! Stay safe guys <3


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